I’ve read Kevin Mitnick’s books, three out of the 4 are on BARD. Nice to see him writing again!
Recently I got really board and wanted to see what Kevin Mitnick was up to. I then Started this book entitled The Art of Invisibility: The World’s Most Famous Hacker Teaches You How to Be Safe in the Age of Big Brother and Big Data and I read the first chapter as a free sample. This book is not available on BARD, however, it is available on Bookshare. I decided to buy the book here at Amazon, and when I did, it updated itself with some 2019 notes in regards to the various breaches that have been notable since the beginning of the year.
About the Book
Kevin Mitnick, the world’s most famous hacker, teaches you easy cloaking and countermeasures for citizens and consumers in the age of Big Brother and Big
Data.Like it or not, your every move is being watched and analyzed. Consumers’ identities are being stolen, and a person’s every step is being tracked and stored.
What once might have been dismissed as paranoia is now a hard truth, and privacy is a luxury few can afford or understand.In this explosive yet practical book, Kevin Mitnick illustrates what is happening without your knowledge – and he teaches you “the art of invisibility”.
Mitnick is the world’s most famous – and formerly the most wanted – computer hacker. He has hacked in to some of the country’s most powerful and seemingly
impenetrable agencies and companies, and at one point he was on a three-year run from the FBI. Now, though, Mitnick is reformed and is widely regarded
as the expert on the subject of computer security. He knows exactly how vulnerabilities can be exploited and just what to do to prevent that from happening.In The Art of Invisibility Mitnick provides both online and real-life tactics and inexpensive methods to protect you and your family, in easy step-by-step
instructions. He even talks about more advanced “elite” techniques, which, if used properly, can maximize your privacy. Invisibility isn’t just for superheroes
– privacy is a power you deserve and need in this modern age.
If you’ve never read anything by this hacker turned security professional, then I highly recommend that you start with Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker which is on BARD and is also available on Bookshare. I actually started this book through Learning Ally, formerly Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.
Abpout the book
Kevin Mitnick was the most elusive computer break-in artist in history. He accessed computers and networks at the world’s biggest companies-and however
fast the authorities were, Mitnick was faster, sprinting through phone switches, computer systems, and cellular networks. He spent years skipping through
cyberspace, always three steps ahead and labeled unstoppable. But for Kevin, hacking wasn’t just about technological feats-it was an old fashioned confidence
game that required guile and deception to trick the unwitting out of valuable information.Driven by a powerful urge to accomplish the impossible, Mitnick bypassed security systems and blazed into major organizations including Motorola, Sun Microsystems,
and Pacific Bell. But as the FBI’s net began to tighten, Kevin went on the run, engaging in an increasingly sophisticated cat-and-mouse game that led through
false identities, a host of cities, plenty of close shaves, and to an ultimate showdown with the feds, who would stop at nothing to bring him down.Ghost in the Wires is a thrilling true story of intrigue, suspense, and unbelievable escape and a portrait of a visionary whose creativity, skills, and
persistence forced the authorities to rethink the way they pursued him, inspiring ripples that brought permanent changes in the way people and companies
protect their most sensitive information.I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and thought I would see if there was anything else. The first book in this article I’m writing now, was not known to me, although it may have been recommended to me through my reading of Scotts book Cybersecurity Is Everybody’s Business: Solve the Security Puzzle for Your Small Business and Home Kindle Edition which I only found here and on Amazon. BARD does not have any of Scott’s books, and with the advancement of hacking, the blind and disabled reader must learn how to protect themselves. These books are not difficult, technical, and with Scotts book, was very short chapters.
In my recommendations after downloading Scotts book, I found something that really caught my eye and I’m also reading as well. How I can read two books at the same time, I don’t know. The book is by Paul R. Wilson. The Art of the Con: How to Think Like a Real Hustler and Avoid Being Scammed 1st Edition, Kindle Edition is the name of the book. This guy, in short chapters, talks about cons and scams that have gone on for many years. Some of these are still successful today!
About the Book
A sucker is still born every minute. In this modern and interconnected world, con-men are lurking everywhere – it’s never been easier for them to dupe
us, take from us, and infiltrate our lives.One of the world’s leading and celebrated experts on con-games takes the reader through the history of cons, how they’ve been updated to the modern age,
how they work, how to spot them, and how to protect yourself from being the victim of one.R. Paul Wilson is a con-man who works for the other side – our side. He has spent a lifetime learning, performing, studying, and teaching about the ins
and outs of the con world in order to open up our eyes to the dangers lurking about us – and to show us how not to get taken. Paul has never made a living
as a con-man, profiting off of marks – he has used his expertise throughout his life to help people avoid cons.In this fascinating book, Paul takes the reader through the history and developments of the con game, what elements from the past are based on basic human
psychology and have stood the test of time, what has been updated for the modern era and how it’s getting used in the computer age, the structure of how
these cons work, and – most importantly – how to recognize one, protect yourself and your loved ones, and avoid becoming just another sucker.
I’m not sure if this book is available on BARD or Bookshare, but you can look.
About BARD and Bookshare
BARD is the Braille and Audio Reading Download service by the National Library Service in the United States. This service is available to international patrons, but only if they initially live in the United States and are traveling internationally for some reason.
Bookshare is a paid service, although with the NLS partnership, they’re offering free accounts for those of us who have NLS memberships. You can get books in multiple formats including daisy, aduio mp3 (TTS) and braille files.
In this NCSAM month, I’m hoping that these books are a symbol of something that people should read, and get interested in. As I’ve discussed, we can’t do it alone, and the email scams and cons will only trick you if you don’t know what to look for.
Other Books you can find on Bard
I’ve read all of these books, and forgot about the other two. The following are books that BARD has on Kevin Mitnick, that are authored by him. There is one about Kevin’s takedown written by another author, but I’m not going to put that book here.
Note, that for this blog, I’m putting the DB number for reference and nothing else.
- Ghost in the wires: my adventures as the world’s most wanted hacker DB74947
- The art of deception: controlling the human element of security DB56450
- The art of intrusion: the real stories behind the exploits of hackers, intruders, & deceivers DB60593
Have you read the linked books? What about the others not linked but are listed? What have you thought? Please discuss it in the comments! I look forward in reading what you’ve got to say.