Famous hacker Mitnick suffers break-ins to his corporate Web site
Feb. 10, 2003

WASHINGTON (AP) - The world's best-known computer hacker suffered the 
indignity of having someone break into his new security consulting 
company's Web site. But Kevin Mitnick shrugged it off as ``quite 
amusing,'' not serious enough for him to call the FBI.

Mitnick, whose federal probation on hacking charges ended a few weeks 
ago, acknowledged that this weekend's electronic break-in at Defensive 
Thinking Inc. of Los Angeles was actually the second time in weeks 
that hackers found a way into the computer running the firm's Web 
site.

A hacker calling himself ``BugBear'' added one page to Mitnick's 
corporate Web site on Jan. 30 with a message, ``Welcome back to 
freedom, Mr. Kevin,'' and added that ``it was fun and easy to break 
into your box.'' He included a photograph of a polar bear with two 
cubs.

Another, similar break-in occurred Sunday by a hacker in Texas who 
asked Mitnick to hire him as the company's security officer.

In neither instance did hackers vandalize the company's Web pages, and 
one said in e-mail that he didn't do damage ``out of respect for me,'' 
Mitnick said.

Mitnick said he did not contact the FBI because the break-ins didn't 
involve any financial loss to his company, which advertises ``training 
and expertise to help you stop information theft.''

The FBI and Justice Department would not comment.

Most security experts consider the risk of such break-ins a nuisance 
for government agencies and corporations, since sensitive information 
about consumers is commonly stored on separate computers with better 
protection. But these break-ins can be embarrassing for organizations 
and indicate inattention to Internet security risks.

``No customer information was released nor was in danger of being 
compromised,'' Mitnick's company said in a statement Monday.

Mitnick's probation, which barred him from using the Internet, ended 
Jan. 20. He was released from prison three years ago after serving a 
five-year sentence. Mitnick was accused of costing companies millions 
of dollars by stealing software and altering computer information.

His supporters, who during his time behind bars plastered the phrase 
``Free Kevin'' on hundreds of Web sites, maintain that his crimes were 
vastly exaggerated.

Mitnick said Monday that the hackers apparently exploited separate 
flaws in Internet server software from Microsoft Corp. The person 
responsible for the company's Web site failed to apply the repairing 
patches available from Microsoft, Mitnick said.

``I haven't had any time to play webmaster, but it looks like I'll 
have to look into it,'' Mitnick wrote in an e-mail to The Associated 
Press. ``Actually, it's quite amusing. All the hackers out there 
figure if they can hack Kevin Mitnick's site, they're the king of the 
hill.''