Ghost in the Wires

This thing read almost like a cheesey crime tv drama. The amount of different and creative ways that Mitnick found to get information out of computer systems, and actually more often, the people using them, is fascinating.

He talks about little things like telling people incorrect information and having them correct you, rather than suspiciously asking directly for it. There's another story where he talks to a developer and asks to be sent something confidential, but the developer informs him that for security reasons it can only be delivered in person, so instead he tells the developer he won't be in the office anytime soon and convinces him to leave the package with the secretary instead. He is then able to convince the secretary to send it to him.

There are a ton of little things like this and the book actually moves along at a pretty brisk pace. Mitnick is almost insufferably egotistical while kind of writing as if he is being humble throughout the story, but it actually kind of humanizes him a bit.

I think I'll try reading another one of his books later on.