Ghost in the Wires_ My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker - Kevin Mitnick [191]
The topic was to be “Cyber Attack: Is the Government Safe?” My close friend and supporter Jack Biello had a good way with words and helped me craft my written testimony.
We’ve all seen committee meetings on C-SPAN, but being ushered in and sitting there, in front of that raised platform, with the familiar faces of nationally known political leaders peering down at you, ready to soak up your words—well, the experience has a magical quality about it.
The room was packed. I was the lead witness in a hearing chaired by Senator Fred Thompson, with a panel that included Senators Joseph Lieberman and John Edwards. Though nervous at first when reading my testimony, I felt a flood of confidence surge through me when the Q&A started. Much to my own surprise, I apparently did an impressive job, even offering some jokes and being rewarded with laughter. (The text of my remarks is available online at http://hsgac.senate.gov/030200_mitnick.htm.)
Following my testimony, Senator Lieberman asked a question about my history of hacking. I responded by talking about how my motive had been to learn, not to profit or cause harm, and mentioned the case of that IRS agent, Richard Czubinski, whose conviction had been overturned when the court accepted his argument that he had accessed information only out of curiosity; he never intended to use or disclose the information.
Lieberman, obviously impressed by my testimony and by my reference to a legal precedent I had myself uncovered, suggested that I should become a lawyer.
“With my felony conviction, it’s unlikely I’d be admitted to the Bar,” I said. “But maybe one day you’ll be in a position to pardon me!”
That drew a big laugh.
It was as if a magic door had opened. People started calling me for speaking engagements. My career options seemed to be so severely limited by the conditions of my release that I had been near despair. And now, after my congressional testimony, the possibility of a lucrative speaking career was suddenly taking shape.
The only trouble was, I had terrible stage fright! It took more hours than I’d like to remember, and many thousands of dollars paid to a speaking coach, to help me overcome this fear.
As part of my fearful induction into public speaking, I joined the local Toastmasters group. Ironically, their meetings were held at General Telephone’s main offices in Thousand Oaks, where I’d once worked ever so briefly. My Toastmaster’s visitor pass gave me unfettered access to the offices inside the building. I couldn’t help but smile every time I walked in, thinking about how completely freaked out the folks in Security would be if they only knew. One of the interview requests I received around this time was from the U.S. Commission on National Security in the Twenty-first Century, a think tank that presents security recommendations to Congress and the President. A pair of men from the Department of Defense, representing the commission, came to my apartment in Thousand Oaks and spent two days asking me how government and military computer networks could be made more secure.
To my surprise, I was also invited to appear on a number of news shows and talk shows. Suddenly I was a kind of media celebrity, giving interviews to leading international publications including the Washington Post, Forbes, Newsweek, Time, the Wall Street Journal, and the Guardian. The online site Brill’s Content asked me to write a monthly column. Since I wasn’t allowed anywhere near a computer, the people at Brill’s said they would be willing to accept my drafts in longhand.
Meanwhile, other unusual job offers came pouring in as well. A security company wanted me to serve on its advisory board,