Hacker Kevin Mitnick passed away at the age of 59

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Renowned hacker Kevin Mitnick in the history of cyber security has died at the age of 59 after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year.

An Overview of the News

• Mitnick gained notoriety for his hacking exploits, which inspired several films, including "WarGames". Some claimed that as a teenager he had successfully hacked the North American Aerospace Defense Command's computer systems, but Mitnick denied the allegation.

• In 1988, Mitnick was arrested for stealing $1 million in proprietary software from Digital Equipment Corporation.

• He received a one-year prison sentence and three years' probation, but a new arrest warrant was issued in 1995 for violating probation.

• After his release in 2000, Mitnick became a white-hat hacker, and legally used his expertise to help businesses protect their systems.

• He became the chief hacking officer and partial owner of the tech security firm KnowBe4, which was founded by his close friend and business partner, Stu Sjouverman.

• In 2011, Mitnick published a memoir detailing his hacking career titled "Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker".