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Government Security Your Rights Online

Kevin Mitnick Helping Secure Presidential Elections In Ecuador 85

hypnosec writes "Kevin Mitnick, who was one of the most wanted computer hacker in the US at one time, is now heading a security consultancy firm – Mitnick Security Consulting, and is entrusted with the task of securing Sunday's presidential elections in Ecuador. Mitnick tweeted, '18 years ago I was busted for hacking. I do the same thing today but with full authorization. How cool is that?' His company will focus on protecting the Net Lock computer system tasked with tabulating Ecuador's elections."
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Kevin Mitnick Helping Secure Presidential Elections In Ecuador

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  • e-Cuador (Score:2, Offtopic)

    A great opportunity for a name change!
  • by Gopal.V ( 532678 ) on Sunday February 17, 2013 @02:09PM (#42929739) Homepage Journal

    That guy: I can secure that election for you, very cheap & virtually bulletproof.

    I don't mean to challenge whatever white-hat work that Kevin Mitnick is doing, but the phrase does indeed strike me as something a lobbyist (or well, tout) would tell me. Perhaps I'm just cynical.

    Trust in the democratic process is as important as the actual security of the process. So I would suspect that anything Mitnick finds will be discussed behind closed doors - and it's none of my business, but this does not add any more unless I trust Mitnick (viz not at all).

    • by tqk ( 413719 )

      Just shows to go ya, you can sell snow to Eskimos. USA!

      • Well, obviously they can't harvest their own snow because it would adversely affect interstate snow harvesting commerce.

        • by tqk ( 413719 )

          Well, obviously they can't harvest their own snow because it would adversely affect interstate snow harvesting commerce.

          Ya know, with a freezer, you can grow your own? OMFG!!!111

          • Well, obviously they can't harvest their own snow because it would adversely affect interstate snow harvesting commerce.

            Ya know, with a freezer, you can grow your own? OMFG!!!111

            Better make sure you have a license for medical snow before the power company catches up with you....

    • Trust in the democratic process is as important as the actual security of the process.

      This is something all too often forgotten in discussions around electronic voting; proponents think that adding enough security is sufficient. Transparency of the process in critical, as it can deliver that trust; that's why I (as a gadget freak) am very much in favour of paper ballots. Incredibly hard to fix on a large scale without anyone noticing, and oversight can be carried out by any citizen, not just by security experts with PhDs.


    • I don't mean to challenge whatever white-hat work that Kevin Mitnick is doing, but the phrase does indeed strike me as something a lobbyist (or well, tout) would tell me. Perhaps I'm just cynical.

      It's cynical at all. Ecuador isn't really known for being terribly trustworthy.

      http://report.globalintegrity.org/Ecuador/2008 [globalintegrity.org]

      My feel is that Mitnick was just brought in as window dressing. I wouldn't even suspect that Mitnick would have to hide anything he finds. It's only the tabulating equipment that h

    • No, it fits perfectly. The highest bidder to Mitnick "secures" himself a victory.

      • Yes, it makes perfect sense that the people in power in Equador would just give some US nerd the power to decide the election.

        Mitnick's job is window dressing, nothing more.

  • Is "Mitnick Security Consulting" just the name for Kevin Mitnick as freelancer? Or is it more like a regular security company with a bunch of paid employees, with Kevin Mitnick as the brand figurehead / spokesman / PR guy?

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by osu-neko ( 2604 )
      It [mitnicksecurity.com] is an LLC, which doesn't really answer the question, but it does suggest it's on the smaller side.
      • by sedmonds ( 94908 )
        LLC range from a single owner/director to puny companies like Walmart, and General Motors.
  • Considering what is at stake [climate-connections.org] in the Condor region in particular and the efforts of the incumbent Presidente to hasten its demise, I hope Mitnick does exactly what he says he's doing.

  • Back in the mid-nineties, in one of my computer courses, we had to give a lecture about someone related to computer security. I chose Mitnick. His story then was legendary. It's only gotten better since.

    And I got the highest score in the class for that assignment, so all I can say is "Go Mitnick!"

  • by Anonymous Coward

    My ass he was. He was damned good at social engineering however, which he does deserve credit for.

  • by TED Vinson ( 576153 ) on Sunday February 17, 2013 @03:53PM (#42930433)
    In related news, Kevin Mitnick is elected President of Ecuador with 121% of the popular vote.
    • And each of the front-runner candidates received a box in the mail labelled "POLITICIAN PORK."

      (Allegedly, Mitnick was tracking the FBI agents who were pursuing him, and would leave them boxes labelled "FBI DONUTS.")
    • After securing the vote, Ecuador named their national drink after him, and then proceeded to give everyone in the country a Free Mitnick!

  • by Anonymous Coward

    I hope he stays there.

    He was busted once, got a slap on the wrist, then the fucker went out and did even more.

    Now the con-man is making $$$ off his name and rep.

    As far as I'm concerned, the con-man had his second chance; and he blew it. /. should stop publishing anything with his name in it.

  • by elucido ( 870205 ) on Sunday February 17, 2013 @10:25PM (#42932331)

    Mitnick could be included on a team but Mitnick is just one guy. They should instead use around 5 hackers as consultants and at least 1 of the 5 should be a hacker who either has never been caught or who isn't a celebrity. Mitnick as a choice is cool but also seems a bit like a publicity stunt to hire him and him alone for that.

    • The entire country is bananas, and the US is to blame for that :)

      Chiquita! [google.com]

      (Just pointing out that Mitnick is not the first social engineer hired to manage politics in Ecuador)

  • Please can Anonymous or someone hack this election wide-open so Mitnick can be forgotten. Or better still, elect him as Ecuadorian President-for-Life.
  • by Phoenix ( 2762 ) on Monday February 18, 2013 @06:13AM (#42933931)

    No really. I am.

    Far too often we focus on the crime and the criminal and don't care one toss for rehabilitation or reintegration into society. Kevin managed to do something stupid 18 years ago, got his ass busted for it, paid his debt to society and now is taking his talents and managed to find a legit and legal way to utilize them.

    Good on ya mate.

    So I'm OK with this. He turned his life around and instead of sitting on his ass and complaining how unfair life is that he got caught, he kept his nose clean, got past his probation (which denied him access to computers), pulled himself up by his bootstraps and made something positive out of the situation.

    Whether or not his company is competent to handle that sort of job? Well that's on him and the staff he has hired.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      Kevin managed to do something stupid 18 years ago, got his ass busted for it, paid his debt to society and now is taking his talents and managed to find a legit and legal way to utilize them.

      He turned his life around and instead of sitting on his ass and complaining how unfair life is that he got caught, he kept his nose clean, got past his probation (which denied him access to computers), pulled himself up by his bootstraps and made something positive out of the situation.

      Except that's not what happened. He was busted 1988, then continued to break the law and was busted again in February 15, 1995. So much for keeping his nose clean. He never would have been famous if he'd reformed when caught.

  • Does this actually work out most times? A guy might be the world's greatest safecraker, but that doesn't mean he'd have what it takes to design a safe.

    .
  • I'd be really interested in seeing another hacker group go up against him to see if he's as good as the legend says he is. And how would you know which side was successful? Certainly the outcome of the election is highly suspect. If you can prevent hacking, you also have detailed knowledge of how to stuff the ballot box.

  • Someone made an applet for others to use, it counted the time accumulated that Mitnick was at the time sitting in jail awaiting trial.

    Good ol' days...

Seen on a button at an SF Convention: Veteran of the Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force. 1990-1951.

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