We can agree that one thing all hackers share is curiosity, but not all hackers are the same. There are different types of hackers. For example, black hat hackers (threat actors) exploit network vulnerabilities and attempt to make a profit to the detriment of businesses. These are the “bad guys” of the hacking world.
However, ethical white hat hackers are hired by major organizations to improve security measures and prevent cybercriminals from penetrating an organization’s networks and systems. Between black and white is the gray area. For hackers, this is also true, as those who may have good intentions but aren’t following the laws are called gray hat hackers. Below, we’ll discuss the FBI’s most wanted computer hackers and what they’re up to now.
What he did: Edward Snowden was a contracted IT consultant for the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. As a whistleblower, he shared documents that contained information about the agency’s surveillance of the public on a massive scale. The U.S. government said he violated the Espionage Act and was considered a traitor.
What he’s doing now: Facing retribution from the government, Edward Snowden and his family fled to Russia where he lived in exile until becoming a permanent resident in 2020. He is President of the Freedom of the Press Foundation where he works to protect journalists and their freedom of speech.
What he did: Of all the hacking types out there, Adrian Lamo is perhaps one of the most controversial and famous computer hackers. Although he created viruses and used social engineering tactics during his phone phreaking days, he typically fell under the gray hat hacker category — hacking with the intent to help an organization — but without their permission. At one point, he even hacked a company’s online help desk to help disgruntled customers. When companies refused to listen to him, he eventually became a whistleblower and had run-ins with the FBI.
What he’s doing now: Adrian suffered from anxiety and other mental conditions. In 2018, he died unexpectedly, with the cause of his death unknown.
What he did: Albert Gonzalez is known as the greatest credit card hacker of all time. As a black hat hacker (we are talking jet-black), he started stealing credit card information at age 14 to buy online goods. Albert Gonzalez then moved on to identity theft and became “The leader of the largest hacking and identity theft ring ever prosecuted by the U.S government,” stealing millions of credit card details over the span of just two years.
What he’s doing now: He was convicted of numerous cybercrimes and is serving a 20-year sentence in prison. He has publicly stated that he regretted his actions.
What he did: Known as Sabu in the hacking world, Hector Xavier Monsegur was a founder of the black hat hacker ring, LulzSec. As “Lulz” indicates, these hackers did it for laughs and bragging rights. He stole information from government organizations and corporations until the FBI caught him.
What he’s doing now: Faced with a 26-year prison sentence, Sabu became an informant for the FBI, and helped track down other black hat hackers, which ended the LulzSec hacker group.
What he did: There are many famous computer hackers, but there is only one Kevin Mitnick. Considered one of the best hackers in the world, Kevin Mitnick began phone phreaking — hacking phone companies to get free calls — when he was just a teenager. As a prankster, Kevin learned (and developed) social engineering tactics and used his hacking and people skills to infiltrate companies just to see if he could get away with it — he never hacked for personal gain.
What he’s doing now: After paying for his crimes by serving five years in prison and seeing the public’s support in the form of the Free Kevin movement, Kevin Mitnick turned to white hat hacking to help revolutionize the cybersecurity industry and prepare it for whatever threat actors think of next. He founded Mitnick Security Consulting to share his knowledge and improve the security posture of organizations worldwide. In 2012, Kevin partnered with Stu Sjouwerman and became the Chief Hacking Officer for a cybersecurity training company, KnowBe4. He also has served as a cybersecurity consultant to the U.S. Government and has spoken before congressional committees.
Kevin Mitnick’s goal is to use his skills as the world’s most famous hacker to help organizations strengthen their network securities. Along with his hand-picked team of cybersecurity experts — The Global Ghost Team — Kevin offers world-class penetration testing, cybersecurity awareness training, and other security services designed to thoroughly assess and offer remediation guidance to keep organizations one step ahead of the bad guys.
Get a glimpse of Kevin Mitnick’s journey as one of the most famous computer hackers out there in his thrilling true story and suspense-filled book, “Ghost in the Wires,” today.