My first RSA Conference

My first RSA Conference
Kevin Mitnick, special to SecurityFocus 2001-04-30

Ten thousand attendees, 250 vendor booths, and, still, something was missing.

RSA Conference 2K++ was pretty bad 2001-04-30
ltlw0lf <ltlw0lf (at) home (dot) com [email concealed]>

As a previous attender of RSA Conferences, I can safely say this last conference did have a lot of stuff missing, not just physical security. I found this RSA conference very disheartening, it was so full of marketing this year that about the only good thing it had to offer this year is that they a...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-04-30
Charles Hutson (4 replies)

I find it laughable when Kevin talks about how he "gained access to the show floor on two occasions....." and that "anyone could have taken laptops and/or PDA". My "tounch in cheek" response is "well thank goodness some scoundrel with questionable character and integrity didn't get in there...we co...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-04-30

Hey Charles

What does Kevin's rehabilitaion have to do with his opinion on the state of security at the conference he attended. Are you trying to convince me that I should ignore Kevin's comments just because he's a convicted hacker?

...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-01
ltlw0lf <ltlw0lf (at) home (dot) com [email concealed]> (1 replies)

Typical CISSP drivel...dismiss those who may have a different opinion than yours by pointing out the fact that they have a criminal history. If I didn't know better, I'd think CISSP was some sort of Scientologist run test.

Next I suppose Charles is going to tell us that because he has 5 letters ...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-01
Charles Hutson (3 replies)

Ouch! Let me quickly dispell any rumors here.....I don't know (or think I know) everything about security...not even close. As I mentioned in another response that you probably haven't seen...."Kevin does have valid observations. He is correct". My point wasn't to say that his observation was wro...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-01
ltlw0lf <ltlw0lf (at) home (dot) com [email concealed]> (1 replies)

Ah, but Charles, this is precisely where your argument fails. The FBI does routinely call in the convicted criminals to help with the investigation of a crime. This is sometimes where they get their most valued information. After all, the FBI called in the help of a serial killer to help in the i...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-01
Charles Hutson (1 replies)

Good point. The FBI does use informants in the way you mention. I guess my opinions mostly harken back to the debate that you see from time to time about "whether or not to hire hackers". As you can guess, I lean on the side of NOT hiring hackers. Again, I never meant to question whether or not ...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-03
ltlw0lf <ltlw0lf (at) home (dot) com [email concealed]> (1 replies)

Charles,

I don't want to get into the rant we're close to falling into, whether or not you think that hiring hackers is a good thing or not really doesn't affect me, as I do not currently (nor do I plan in the future) work for you. My opinions on this are known. However, my words have been seen...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-06
Charles....

That must be it....I'm over educated. I thought industry certifications might be a good thing to broaden my knowledge but heck....it back fired on me. Rats!!! I guess between my "over education" (my family always told me this 'book learnin' was useless) and my ethics hang ups I'm missing the big p...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-01
SHad0w

I think we listen because this industry is quite a bit different than any other. Kevin has an ability to look outside the box and utilize it for his own benefit as with most hackers. The majority of these guys are not bad, they just enjoy the challenge or the exploration. Comparing them to murd...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-01
To Charles (1 replies)

So let me get this straight.

Kevin pled guilty to several computer related crimes, so now he is forever deemed "untrustworthy". And most of all, we should question even listening to him because he was the computer bad boy.

Your thinking sounds quite shortsighted to me. The value of the inform...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-03
C. Crunch

I've been down in LA the past month, and have met Kevin on many ocassions and have had some really good and productive meetings with him, and value his knowledge in computer security. Because of his recent incarceration (4 years) a LOT has happened in these 4 years, and it's been quite a job b...

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Kevin to the rescue...... 2001-05-06
Graham Rose

it's too bad you have such an inept attitude my friend. You learn more about security by breaking into systems than just reading how to do it :-)... Yes what Kevin did in the past (and I stress past) was perhaps wrong, but this board isn't here for your own personal attacks. It's about time you gro...

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Re: Kevin to the rescue...... 2005-11-02
Anonymous

it doesn't matter if he changed his ways, retard. he's still pointing out that the security sucks, and another like him could exploit it. thank him for exposing it, rather than letting it go unnoticed by security until another hacker finds and makes use of it....

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Conference Security 2001-04-30
abnelson (at) estec (dot) com [email concealed]

Kevin noticed something I have had a problem with for years, security at most trade shows is weak.

On the plus side, they are usually pretty good about catching you leaving with hardware before the end of the show. But then again ask yourself what is at risk. A bit of hardware. No trade secret...

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Charles Hutson 2001-04-30
dp (1 replies)

I'm slightly offended by your remark towards Kevin. First off I think you entirely missed the point he was trying to make. Second, If I were you in a "Security Professional" position I would heed words and fair warnings from people such as Kevin, He probably has a more extensive knowledge base on ho...

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Charles Hutson 2001-05-01
elliptic

That is, of course, why everybody knows who Charles Hutson is. He really knows his stuff, in comparison to Kevin Mitnick, who nobody obviously knows, and who also apparently doesn't know anything about information security. To use Mr. Hutson's term, take that as "tounch in cheek."

This isn't th...

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He IS right 2001-05-01
Charles Hutson (1 replies)

Good point.....and you're correct...his observations are valid. I never meant to imply that the advice he was giving was incorrect in this case. My point was simply that I find it strange that we, as an industry, pay heed to the advice of criminals. To further my analogy, Bill Clinton could have ...

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He IS right 2001-05-02
elliptic

Have you ever considered how many members of the Military are in the Military because they've been convicted of a crime, and given the option of Military service or jail?

These are the people that sit in places that you'd never dare go, and live in conditions that we as "Americans" call inhumane....

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Good SANS Conference Security 2001-05-01
Charles Hutson (1 replies)

Thinking about conference security in general, I've noticed that the SANS conferences seem to do a good job in this area. Maybe not on the vendor floor but in the areas where it counts (the paid for training rooms), these guys over do it. I had several instances where the "door man" chased me down...

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Good SANS Conference Security 2001-05-01
Mark Davis, CCNA (1 replies)

Does it matter where information comes from? Kevin has proven himself to be an expert "invader?" and his intelligence is obvious. I for one listen when he speaks and in fact, look forward to it. His little article is full of good stuff. I am made aware yet again of the deficiencies we all have to li...

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Good SANS Conference Security 2001-05-04
Hazmat (1 replies)

Wow ... what an interesting thread. Lots of themes in play here. Freedom of speech is important. True knowledge or learned experiences(independent of source) always have value. Kevin's points certainly seemed valid.

However I do find myself wondering if securityfocus.com paid Kevin for this m...

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Good SANS Conference Security 2001-05-04
Response to Hazmat's comments

What difference does it make if Kevin was compensated for his work? He has a right to earn a living just like you and me regardless of his criminal history.

Your argument that Kevin should not compensated for his work is absurd. I enjoy reading Kevin's articles and I hope to see more of them.

...

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Olé Kevin ! 2001-05-06
picardos (at) teleline (dot) es [email concealed]

Amazing.I used to believe that information was important if it was free and true.But it seems that some people looks on

"who" has said something, and not on "what" he said.

Mitnick investigates by himself.He smiles the "Security World" as if he was thinking : "Yeah men, but there is a lot

of work...

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