The Art of Intrusion

Written by famed ’90s hacker, Kevin Mitnick, The Art of Intrusion is a great account of the first phase of Mitnick’s career, on the wrong side of the law. Mitnick walks us through, in meticulous detail, his various encounters with the FBI, large corporations and other hackers. What comes across is a technically fascinating account, but also a great exposition of the types of social engineering techniques that hackers use to compromise security.

Even though the stories in this book are from the ’90s, and undoubtedly, technology has changed much since then, many of the techniques described here are as relevant today as they were then. Social engineering, the art of engaging legitimate users in ways that cause them to voluntarily give up access or information, is the one constant through this entire period. And it will likely remain a threat in years to come.

The book’s focus on social engineering is particularly apt now, when this review is being written. In July 2020, a massive compromise of Twitter security led to a bitcoin scam taking over Bill Gates, Elon Musk, President Obama and many other major Twitter users’ feeds. The attack was ultimately traced to a 17-year old hacker in Florida who apparently convinced Twitter employees to simply give the requisite access over a phone call. Social engineering is alive and well, so perhaps those Twitter employees should have read this book!