Kevin David Mitnick was cyberspace's most wanted hacker. Mitnick could launch missiles or cripple the world's financial markets with a single phone call - or so went the myth. The FBI, phone companies, bounty hunters, even fellow hackers pursued him over the Internet and through cellular airways. But while Mitnick's alleged crimes have been widely publicized, his story has never been told. Now Jonathan Littman takes us into the mind of a serial hacker. Drawing on over fifty hours of telephone conversations with Mitnick on the run, Littman reveals Mitnick's double life; his narrow escapes; his new identities, complete with college degrees of his choosing; his hacking techniques and mastery of "social engineering"; his obsession with revenge.

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First of all, this is by far the most informative and interesting of the three works, and aside from the very insightful dialogue of fugitive Mitnick, Littman poses a number of intriguing questions glossed over by the mainstream "press" and which could never be addressed in the other two books:

What was Shimomura's real relationship with Lottor, an ex-hacker and former roommate of Poulsen? Why were the two working together to disassemble cell phone software? What practical application could this possibly have, other than for illegal ESN cloning and eavesdropping? Was Shimomura being covertly employed by the NSA, Air Force, or some other government agency? Why is Shimomura considered a top-notch "security expert" when his computers were systematically violated over the course of many months? Why do Shimomura and the FBI insist that certain valuable applications were being stolen from Shimomura's computer, when at least some of these same programs are freely available on the internet? Why was Markoff permitted to write (uncorrected, in the NY Times) that just before he was caught, Mitnick had attempted to destroy an entire ISP, when in fact the damage was restricted to erasing only a small portion of one backup tape?

Two people benefitted most from the hype surrounding the arrest and criminalization of Mitnick: Shimomura and Markoff. Much of Mitnicks' "crimes" were nothing more than unsubstantiated accusations. Yet the two detectives managed to parlay the bust into a $750k book advance, movie rights, fame, etc., at the expense of Markoff's journalistic integrity.

This book is a must read for anyone looking for an honest account of events, free from self-serving rhetoric of Shimomura and Markoff, and the biases of the mainsteam media.

19 of 20 found the following review helpful:

Factual Presentation of The StoryJun 06, 2001

I became interested in Kevin Poulson and Kevin Mitnick after reading several articles about his exploits. After learning about this new book from Jonathan Littman, I emailed the author for sources of more information. He (of course) advised that I purchase his two books on The Kevins: 1) "The Fugitive Game: Online With Kevin Mitnick", and 2) "The Watchman: The Twisted Life and Crimes of Serial Hacker Kevin Poulsen". I ordered the two books, along with "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier" by John Markoff and Katie Hafner.

I read Jonathan Littman's two books first, and was very excited with the stories, and his factual presentation. His writing style is an excellent fit for the type of story he is telling. It was obvious that Littman researched the facts and presented them in an unbiased manner. I liked that he presented both the technical information and the human elements of the stories. I also liked that he exposed many myths and controversy regarding the players in the stories, like John Markoff's getting involved in the chase for Mitnick, crossing the ethical boundary between journalism and law enforcement.

I then read "Cyberpunk" by Markoff and Hafner. Boy, what a difference! Where Littman was factual, Markoff was more into storytelling. I cannot say who's right (I wasn't THERE), but Markoff just didn't come across as complete and factual, especially in light of Littman's comments on his questionable involvement in Mitnick's capture. I did, however, love Markoff's telling of the rtm story (Robert Tappan Morris - the sendmail internet worm guy). I'd give this book 3 stars.

I'd like to take a moment to comment on some other reviews that I think are unfair or inaccurate.

Regarding "The Watchman":

"Big Letdown" stated that there was too much technical information. I completely disagree. It's true that I personally enjoyed the technical details, but I also felt it was important insight into a hacker's curiosity response to forbidden systems. "Hmmm...Perhaps Jonathan should have done more research" stated that Littman didn't give Poulsen a chance, and made him out to be a monster. I wonder if we read the same book? I did not get the impression that Poulsen was a monster of any kind, just a kid addicted to the power and thrills of having absolute control over other people's forbidden systems. On the contrary, I think Littman did a professional, accurate, and entertaining presentation of the story and it's facts.

Regarding "The Fugitive Game":

"lots of clumsy writing here" stated that Littman tried to make Mitnick out to be a hero. Again, I have to wonder if we read the same book. Littman did no such thing. In fact, Littman "de-heroed" other characters that John Markoff pumped up in his telling of events. From reading the above-mentioned three books, Littman comes across as MUCH more factual. "Not Very good" stated that the story was boring, and to get other books like the Cuckoo's Egg, and maybe even At Large. The book was far from boring, but I'd have to agree that "The Watchman" was better (I give "The Fugitive Game" 4 stars, "The Watchman" 5 stars.) I guess I'll have to check out "Cuckoo's Egg" and "At Large" - at least the reviewer made alternative recommendations, which I thank him/her for.

Finally, to help the reader of this review judge how relevant my opinion is, I'll tell you where I'm coming from. I consider myself to be very technical. I really got started with computers back in 1978, about the same time these guys were getting going. I went through many of the same "phases" these hackers went through. I did things to computers that weren't supposed to be done - and got caught a couple times (ahh, the old days...) So I think I'm qualified to judge a "real" story. All three books were nostalgic for me, but Littman's were the most accurate, I think. In my opinion, he described what it was REALLY like: the curiosity, the intensity, the excitement of discovery, the thrill of the hunt, and the addiction of absolute control.

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:

read this book ..Mar 21, 2000
By G. MCPHERSON
if you're looking for a revealing account of the "mitnick" story this is it. while littman was researching another hacker, kevin poulsen for his upcoming book The Watchman, he stumbled across mitnick. mitnick and littman form a relationship. mitnick contacts littman from time to time, whether by pay-phone or by hacking into liftman's email account. what makes this book unique from any other is mitnick's account as written by littman of the FBI's pursuit .

the story that littman brings the reader in The Fugitive Game is a thorough account of mitnick's humble beginnings from begging radio shack employees to let him use store computers after closing to his hacking of the world most powerful companies.

a book well written .. fast paced, fun to read.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

lots of clumsy writing hereJun 28, 1998

Littman tries hard in this book to make Kevin Mitnick out to be a noble hero, but it doesn't quite work. I admire the effort, though, and feel like it is a much more honest take on the subject than John Markoff's Takedown - which is, in my opinion, a truly bad book. If you're a hacker, there's lots of good information in The Fugitive Game. For a fuller understanding of Kevin Mitnick's life, and the fascinating and twisted world he comes from, as well as a nicely balanced appraisal of his crimes, I'd recommend Jeff Goodell's The Cyberthief and the Samurai.

11 of 13 found the following review helpful:

This is a book about lifestyle, not technologyJun 08, 2003
By K. W. Jolley "Wildstar"
If you're interested in the technical side of Mitnick's computer vandalism, you won't find it here. You will, however, get a glimpse into his personality and lifestyle, as well as an idea into those of other famous computer criminals of the '90s.
It is well written, however, as Littman is a professional writer. Contrast this with "Takedown," in which you're given a lot of techical information, but the writing is a bit less refined, as Shimomura makes his living as a scientific computing expert.
Take it for what it is.

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