Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick, with William L. Simon; Unabridged MP3 Audio Book; Narrator Ray Porter

An NPR Best Book of Summer 2011

Foreword by Steve Wozniak

Kevin Mitnick was the most elusive computer break-in artist in history. He accessed computers and networks at the world’s biggest companies—and however fast the authorities were, Mitnick was faster, sprinting through phone switches, computer systems, and cellular networks. He spent years skipping through cyberspace, always three steps ahead and labeled unstoppable. But for Kevin, hacking wasn’t just about technological feats—it was an old fashioned confidence game that required guile and deception to trick the unwitting out of valuable information.

Driven by a powerful urge to accomplish the impossible, Mitnick bypassed security systems and blazed into major organizations including Motorola, Sun Microsystems, and Pacific Bell. But as the FBI’s net began to tighten, Kevin went on the run, engaging in an increasingly sophisticated cat-and-mouse game that led through false identities, a host of cities, plenty of close shaves, and to an ultimate showdown with the feds, who would stop at nothing to bring him down.

Ghost in the Wires is a thrilling true story of intrigue, suspense, and unbelievable escape and a portrait of a visionary whose creativity, skills, and persistence forced the authorities to rethink the way they pursued him, inspiring ripples that brought permanent changes in the way people and companies protect their most sensitive information.

“Intriguing, insightful, and extremely educational into the mind of one who truly mastered the art of social engineering with the use of a computer and modern-day technologies. I strongly believe that one can learn a great deal about protecting themselves once they understand how another one perpetrates the crime.”—Frank W. Abagnale, author of Catch Me If You Can

“It’s the piquant human element that really animates this rollicking memoir of high-tech skullduggery…The considerable charm of this nonstop caper saga lies in seeing the giant, faceless bureaucracies that rule and regulate us unmasked as assemblages of hapless people dancing to a plucky con man’s tune.”—Publishers Weekly

“A lucid, brightly written tale for both techies and lay readers.”—Kirkus Reviews

Kevin Mitnick has been the subject of countless news and magazine articles, the idol of thousands of would-be hackers, and a one-time “most wanted” criminal of cyberspace. Now a security consultant, he has spoken to audiences at conventions around the world, been on dozens of major national television and radio shows, and even testified in front of Congress. He is the author of The Art of Deception and The Art of Intrusion.