Kevin Mitnick leaves behind a wife and unborn child after a 14-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
Kevin Mitnick, who was once the most wanted computer hacker in the world turned security consultant, has died at the age of 59. Per his obituary, he passed away peacefully after a 14-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
In the mid to late 1990s, Kevin Mitnick went on what was called a “countrywide hacking spree” by then-U.S. Attorney Christopher Painter, breaking into government systems, potentially even NORAD, as well as private sector organizations like Sun Microsystems or Motorola. After being placed on the FBI’s most wanted list, this spree earned him 25 cybercrime charges and jail time, leading to the “FREE KEVIN” movement, further spurring his cyberspace fame or infamy, depending on how you look at it.
