Renowned hacker Kevin Mitnick has compiled a collection of stories of some devious and/or high-profile hacks. Without being overly technical, though there is a good deal of jargon, Mitnick relays the stories behind the headlines that some of you might remember. The prose was at times a little rough around the edges, but not too distracting from the overall message of the book. The now-benevolent Mitnick ends each chapter with his analysis of the hacks, how they could have been prevented (a.k.a. how to prevent history from repeating itself), and any additional insights he might have.

The book is overall a quick and easy read, and the stories are written with the feel of a crime novel- full of gripping, can't-wait-to-see-what-happens intrigue. The stories cover casinos, prisons, aircraft companies, newspaper companies, banks, medical companies, and so on- indeed, no-one is safe from hacking, no matter how thick and strong of an electronic barrier you may build. Penetration tests and social engineering are also discussed (though not as much as Mitnick's other book The Art of Deception), which I found to be the most enthralling part of the book. Some hacks may take months or years to pull off, but others can happen by a variety of means in as little as a few days. I can't help but be impressed at the capabilities of motivated people with a little bit of technical know-how, whether they are acting maliciously or not.

I found the book to be both entertaining and technically helpful, and I would recommend it to anyone who uses a computer. This book is not a how-to guide for hacking, so if that is what you are after, I suggest looking elsewhere. The stories presented what happened in the hacks, but not how to do it.

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