David Tomaschik: Review: Ghost in the Wires

Any fan of hacking culture should already be familiar with the name Kevin Mitnick and with the basic story of his exploits, the manhunt to find him, and his arrest and prosecution. Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker is Mitnick's autobiographical account of his hacking exploits and time on the run from authorities. While much of the story was told in the movie Track Down, the movie is widely regarded as little more than creative license surrounding a kernel of truth. In Ghost in the Wires, Kevin tells his side of the story, and directly refutes a few of the more dramatic scenes from the movie.

There have been a few books where I have bought the book, started reading it, and not put it down until the final page. This book is the most recent member of that club. Daemon by Daniel Suarez is another. Like Daemon, Ghost in the Wires tells a gripping story in an informative way. Unlike Daemon, this book is a true account and even though I knew how it turned out, it was still exciting to read the details of how Mitnick gained access to systems, how he convinced federal agents to give him information on the manhunt for him, and how he managed to live on the run for so long.

While I had known that Kevin was an expert social engineer, I had no idea that so many of his hacks had been purely through social engineering. On more than one occasion, Kevin convinced someone to just hand over credentials that he could use to connect. Not only was I amazed by his ability to manipulate, but I learned a number of things about social engineering and the human mind that I had not realized before.

Whether you are an information security professional, a hacker, or just interested in the culture, Ghost in the Wires has something for you. The only thing that left me wanting was a curiosity about the technical side of some of the hacks and devices mentioned in the book. While I'm sure this makes for good reading for your average reader, it may leave the more technical (like myself) wanting for detail. On the other hand, perhaps leaving out details is a good thing -- Mitnick himself speculates that many of the vulnerabilities may still exist!