The Fugitive Game: Online with Kevin Mitnick

by Jonathan Littman

Book Overview

Kevin David Mitnick was cyberspace's most wanted hacker. Mitnick could launch missiles or cripple the world's financial markets with a single phone call - or so went the myth. The FBI, phone... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316528692
• ISBN13: 9780316528696
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Charismatically written, fast paced...

I must say that this is one of the most addictive books I have read in ages, the subject (Mitnik) is portrayed realistically from both sides of the media fence (tabloid one side and realistically on the other) - there isnt a dull moment in the book and edge of the seat stuff as to what Mitnik will say next or little information he will drop Jonathan in their seemingly elongated phone calls. The way Littman is allowing us to be drawn into Mitniks charismatic personallity is in real time and you grow to like and feel sorry for the vendetta launched against Mitnik by the tabloid press and the FBI/gov. system. On the flip side Mitniks ability to retrieve information either by hacking or social engineering gives a insight to his more devious side and balances out the main character of this tale. Add to this the wild array of characters ranging from a Japanese spook, whome Mitnik has great respect to an ex-FBI informer who likes bondage and strippers. This book has everything and a lot more depth in its writing narrative from Littman. Overall a fantastic read which will keep you wishing the ending was a little different. Great Stuff!!!

If I haven't heard FREE KEVIN enough yet...this clinches it

In what is perhaps one of the most exploited, over-hyped computer trials of the decade, Kevin Mitnick has surely not escaped unscathed. The poor guy has been placed on parole which basically limits him to living the way in which a caveman does-I'm surprised he's even allowed to have a toaster. ("No! Don't give him a toaster, he'll hack into the pentagon and start world war three! "...I'm sure this was a certain three letter agency's response)Littman is surprisingly unbiased for working for "THE MAN" (AKA media, etc) and provides you with straightforward facts about the case. That, despite the New York Times running the headline that Mitnick "cost" corporations hundreds of millions, and would not revoke (or even amend the headline) after it became apparent that there was really no "cost" involved...At most, Mitnick used twenty bucks of "someone else's" (PHONE COMPANY!) money. Being basically as uninformed as they come (I have only known about the Mitnick trial via 2600...) I found this book to clear up fogginess in many of the areas that were unclear. Littman exposes Kevin as he is-a charismatic, brilliant man who does not CREATE problems, just merely uses the ones in the current existance.Rather than being brainwashed by media and cultural sources that bombard us with inaccurate information every waking moment, find the real truth in this book. Educate yourself, and this book may do more than just educate you about Kevin Mitnick and the relentless pursuit of him-It may show you that despite the "truth" in everything, that so many things are being misreported and misrepresented.This book accurately portrays the way in which Kevin Mitnick evaded government agents in order to remain free...It is informative and critical, as well as extremely accurate. His eventual takedown and capture is also very well documented, right down to Shimimora (only spelled right) and his whole role in it. I have found this book to be the best book to date that is truthful in the presentation of the kevin mitnick trial

read this book ..

if you're looking for a revealing account of the "mitnick" story this is it. while littman was researching another hacker, kevin poulsen for his upcoming book The Watchman, he stumbled across mitnick. mitnick and littman form a relationship. mitnick contacts littman from time to time, whether by pay-phone or by hacking into liftman's email account. what makes this book unique from any other is mitnick's account as written by littman of the FBI's pursuit .the story that littman brings the reader in The Fugitive Game is a thorough account of mitnick's humble beginnings from begging radio shack employees to let him use store computers after closing to his hacking of the world most powerful companies.a book well written .. fast paced, fun to read.

The Ethical Version of the Kevin Mitnick Story

Written by a journalist who was in regular contact with Kevin, as opposed to a journalist who was part of the team trying to catch him (Takedown). Fugitive Game is the exciting and often moving story of Kevin Mitnick, who in this book seems more like an overgrown kid than the evil mastermind he's made out to be elsewhere. It's given particular poignance now when you realize how long Mitnick spent in jail for what was (in the end) a minor array of crimes. Lots of government and law enforcement idiocy thrown in for humorous spice. Good read.

As unbiased an account as you'll ever find.

I just finished reading this book and I must say that it was a real eye-opener. Over the past two weeks, I've read both Cyberpunk and Takedown. On their own, they seem to be pretty straightforward accounts of the tracking and capture of Mitnick. After finishing The Fugitive Game, I now realize how biased and self-serving both books really are.First of all, this is by far the most informative and interesting of the three works, and aside from the very insightful dialogue of fugitive Mitnick, Littman poses a number of intriguing questions glossed over by the mainstream "press" and which could never be addressed in the other two books:What was Shimomura's real relationship with Lottor, an ex-hacker and former roommate of Poulsen? Why were the two working together to disassemble cell phone software? What practical application could this possibly have, other than for illegal ESN cloning and eavesdropping? Was Shimomura being covertly employed by the NSA, Air Force, or some other government agency? Why is Shimomura considered a top-notch "security expert" when his computers were systematically violated over the course of many months? Why do Shimomura and the FBI insist that certain valuable applications were being stolen from Shimomura's computer, when at least some of these same programs are freely available on the internet? Why was Markoff permitted to write (uncorrected, in the NY Times) that just before he was caught, Mitnick had attempted to destroy an entire ISP, when in fact the damage was restricted to erasing only a small portion of one backup tape?Two people benefitted most from the hype surrounding the arrest and criminalization of Mitnick: Shimomura and Markoff. Much of Mitnicks' "crimes" were nothing more than unsubstantiated accusations. Yet the two detectives managed to parlay the bust into a $750k book advance, movie rights, fame, etc., at the expense of Markoff's journalistic integrity.This book is a must read for anyone looking for an honest account of events, free from self-serving rhetoric of Shimomura and Markoff, and the biases of the mainsteam media.