The world’s most famous hacker, Kevin Mitnick, was once on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for hacking into 40 major corporations, including IBM, Nokia and Motorola. He now is a leading security consultant who is hired by companies to reveal vulnerabilities in their security system using the very skills that landed him in prison for five years.hacker
Since working as a consultant for Mitnick Security, Mitnick’s success rate for cracking into an organisation’s security system has been 100 percent. He is able to do this using technical and social engineering techniques, such as manipulating someone to open up a link on an email or convincing someone to give their personal details over the phone. In August, Mitnick appeared on ABC Four Corners and showed how he is also able to use social engineering to obtain one’s login details and gain full access to their computer system. He can do this simply by setting up a fake WiFi network in a public space. When the victim connects to the network, they have no idea that they have been hacked.
Personal information online is becoming increasingly accessible to hackers in today’s world. While many organizations still believe that their passwords and complex IT security will protect their information, people as young as high school students now have access to the tools necessary to exploit a security system. For this reason, businesses are spending increasingly more money on their cyber security. According to a study completed by the Australian Cyber Security Centre, 56 percent of major Australian businesses increased their cyber security in 2015. This shows that businesses are aware of the threat that cyber security attacks pose and are attempting to protect themselves from these cyber criminals.
Mitnick believes that the vast number of mobile phones has created new and exciting hacking opportunities for cyber criminals, as every businessperson now has a mobile device on them at all times. Currently, iOS software is very challenging and expensive to exploit. As a result, Mitnick expects upcoming cyber-attacks to target the device’s hardware directly, rather than the software. This would create a new security risk that businesses and individuals are not yet prepared to face.
This November, Kevin Mitnick will be speaking in Sydney and Melbourne on the cyber threats that Australian businesses face and what businesses can do to protect themselves from these threats. His presentation will also feature a live hacking demonstration and an opportunity to get a glimpse “inside the mind of a hacker” through an interview with Mitnick and a panel discussion.
Don’t miss your place at this exciting event – book today!
Sydney Event – 22 November
Melbourne Event – 24 November
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Hilton Hotel Sydney
MORE INFO / BOOK NOW
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Crown Melbourne
Source: AmCham