The most famous hacker in history

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Kevin Munick is the most famous computer hacker in the world. He was once on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ list of dangerous criminals, and was also the inspiration for a Hollywood film.

Here is the story of his life. His parents divorced when he was three but he says his childhood was happy. He lived with his mother in the suburbs of Los Angeles. He was a genius with electronic devices, and computers soon attracted his attention.

By the age of 17 he was an expert in telephone and computer systems, but there was a criminal side to his interests. He hacked into computers at Motorola, Nokia Mobile Phones and other companies. Some reports estimated the damage to be $80 million.

In1981 police arrested him. He was in prison for 5 years. The judge prohibited him from using computers. Now he has a business consultancy and fights against software piracy.

Ex. 29 Find the Past Simple forms in the text.

Ex. 30 Agree or disagree with the following statements. Make corrections in case they are false.

Model: He lived with his father.

He didn’t live with his father. He lived with his mother.

1. His parents divorced when he was 16.

2. He hacked into Sun Microsystem telephone system.

3. The damage from his hacking was $100 million.

4. The judge prohibited him from using mobile phone.

5. At present he continues hacking new companies.

Ex. 31 Look at the opinions below. Which one(s) you most agree with?

a) Munick isn’t a thief or a terrorist, he’s a recreational hacker. He didn’t do it for economic gain.

b) Kevin Munick represented a real danger for business.

c) Hacking is illegal. Kevin Munick is a dangerous criminal and must be taken to prison.

d) Kevin Munick demonstrated the companies that computer security is a problem.