Assignment: Kevin Mitnick
Kevin Mitnick's journey as a computer hacker has been so interesting and compelling that the U.S. Department of Justice called him the "most wanted computer criminal in U.S. history." His story is so wild that it was the basis for two featured films.
What did he do? After serving a year in prison for hacking into the Digital Equipment Corporation's network, he was let out for 3 years of supervised release. Near the end of that period, however, he fled and went on a 2.5-year hacking spree that involved breaching the national defense warning system and stealing corporate secrets.
Mitnick was eventually caught and convicted, ending with a 5-year prison sentence. After serving those years fully, he became a consultant and public speaker for computer security. He now runs Mitnick Security Consulting, LLC.
1. What rules of ethics did Mitnick violate?
2. Identify some of the stakeholders who were harmed by Mitnick's actions.
3. Since there is no evidence that Mitnick intended to profit from his actions, should his transgressions be treated lightly?
4. How real was the harm to the other stakeholders?
5. Is it necessary to punish Mitnick severely to deter others from copycat computer break-ins?