Indisputably the most famous and infamous hacker joins the Geeks to talk
about his new book, The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security.
The world’s most famous computer hacker and cybercult hero,
once the subject of a massive FBI manhunt for computer fraud, has written a
blueprint for system security based on his own experiences. Mitnick, who was
released from federal prison in 1998 after serving a 22-month term, explains that
unauthorized intrusion into computer networks is not limited to exploiting security
holes in hardware and software. He focuses instead on a common hacker technique
known as social engineering in which a cybercriminal deceives an individual into
providing key information rather than trying to use technology to reveal it.
Mitnick illustrates the tactics comprising this “art of deception” through
actual case studies, showing that even state-of-the-art security software
can’t protect businesses from the dangers of human error. With Mitnick’s
recommended security policies, readers gain the information their organizations
need to detect and ward off the threat of social engineering. Required reading for
IT professionals, this book is highly recommended for public, academic, and corporate libraries.
