[sigSEGV]

If all those accusations were true, don't you think he would have done hard time?

[eno_]

The truth is that Mitnick is no angel. He may in fact have stolen things of value. But the "millions of dollars in damage" is pure hype. Hackers should be punished like other criminals - in line with the actual damage they do. If someone steals my car AND hacks the password on the cell phone in order to fence it, he is still a car thief and should get the same penalty as a car thief, plus whatever addtional for stealing a cell phone. We don't need to turn common criminals into super-criminals just to glorify the people that catch hackers.

[TechJunkYard]

Mitnick has a knack for destroying evidence, and his talent for social engineering is legendary. That said, most charges against him were trumped-up, but when he was captured and arraigned in Raleigh, it was for Telecomm Fraud and Computer Fraud -- both have a max penalty of 15 years. He served nearly 5 years, paid a fine and is on probation until January of next year. In September the FCC decided to renew his ham radio license. He has jobs waiting in broadcasting and consulting. Kevin really lucked out.

The big question is: can he be trusted? Lots of folks apparently think he can.