Portrayed by the media as one of the most notorious hackers of all time, Kevin Mitnick has reinvented himself as a computer security consultant. Along with his co-author, he describes successful hackers as a form of "social engineer" who can exploit human factors to overcome technological safeguards businesses put in place to protect their computer and information systems. He accomplishes his task primarily through recounting stories of these modern day "grifters" in action and explaining how they exploit human weakness to achieve their goals.