Ghost in the Wires

The world's most infamous former cyberspace hacker catalogs his computer, phone, and cellular network exploits, which vary from practical jokes to eavesdropping on U.S. governmental wiretapping. Narrator Ray Porter employs an assertive, controlled performance with effective use of pauses. He provides little vocal characterization except for a few Asian-American intonations. We hear an earnest telling, without self-examination or flashes of humor, of a spoiled life led with significant privilege, courtesy of Mitnick's enabling parents and grandmother. Funds were always made available for defense attorneys and miscellaneous paraphernalia in support of an out-of-control intellectual curiosity for criminally challenging electronic systems and their security. The writing style is pedestrian as is Porter's narration. Clearly an illogical choice for audio inclusion are the unexplained cryptic puzzles that follow each chapter title. W.A.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

April 18, 2011
It's the piquant human element that really animates this rollicking memoir of high-tech skullduggery. Mitnick (The Art of Deception) recounts his epic illegal computer hacks of Sun Microsystems, Digital Equipment Corporation, and any number of cellphone makers; his exploits triggered a manhunt that made headlines. He insists he did it not for money but for the transgressive thrill of looking at big, secret computer programsâotherwise he apparently lived a threadbare existence on the lamâand the claim rings true; there's something obsessive and pure about his need to hack and brag about it to others, habits which eventually brought about his downfall. Mitnick's hacking narratives are lucid to neophytes and catnip to people who love code, but the book's heart is his "social engineering"âhis preternatural ability to schmooze and manipulate. By learning their procedures and mimicking their lingo, he gets cops, technicians, DMV functionaries, and other mandarinsâhis control over telephone companies is almost godlikeâto divulge their secrets and do his bidding. The considerable charm of this nonstop caper saga lies in seeing the giant, faceless bureaucracies that rule and regulate us unmasked as assemblages of hapless people dancing to a plucky con man's tune. Photos.