The Art of Deception
by Kevin D. Mitnick, William L. Simon · first published 2001
63% recommend33% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Story-driven look at social engineering from a famed hacker's view, showing that people are the weakest link in security. Suits readers wanting the con-artist mindset or ways to defend against it.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The world's most infamous hacker offers an insider's view of the low-tech threats to high-tech security Kevin Mitnick's exploits as a cyber-desperado and fugitive form one of the most exhaustive FBI manhunts in history and have spawned dozens of articles, books, films, and documentaries. Since his release from federal prison, in 1998, Mitnick has turned his life around and established himself as one of the most sought-after computer security experts worldwide. Now, in The Art of Deception, the world's most notorious hacker gives new meaning to the old adage, "It takes a thief to catch a thief
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2009–2026Takedown
Tsutomu Shimomura, John Markoff
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 166 recommend · 16 mention6 recommend · 166 recommend
2014–2024Social Engineering
Christopher Hadnagy
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 86 recommend · 8 mention6 recommend · 86 recommend
2011–2026Ghost in the wires
Kevin D. Mitnick
Recommended by 63 · mentioned by 8663 recommend · 86 mention63 recommend · 8663 recommend
2015–2021The fugitive game
Jonathan Littman
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 97 recommend · 9 mention7 recommend · 97 recommend
2010–2016No tech hacking
Johnny Long
Recommended by 1 · mentioned by 21 recommend · 2 mention1 recommend · 21 recommend
2008–2024The Art of Intrusion
Kevin D. Mitnick, William L. Simon
Recommended by 12 · mentioned by 1612 recommend · 16 mention12 recommend · 1612 recommend
umm, is there anybody here who doesn't know who Mitnick is? well, in that case, his 'the art of deception' is an interesting book on social engineering.
on “Kevin Mitnick” ↗Kevin Mitnick's first book, "The Art of Deception", was an eye-opener for me as well. I guess I should read "Ghost in the Wire" too :) I hadn't thought about those books in a while. If anything, "social engineering" should be WAY easier in the Facebook…
on “Social Engineering from Kevin Mitnick” ↗…the book by same name. So, nice accidental reminder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4kfsxF8Tio Note 2: Bejtlich's comment on NTH on Amazon reminded me that we should probably always list Mitnick's Art of Deception and Abignale's Art of the Steal in these threads for useful examples they had. They each extracted much mileage out of social engineering.
on “How hackers hack you using simple social engineering [video]” ↗…my laptop stolen by a fake delivery worker who cleaned up the building. An UPS or DHL uniform will get you most everywhere, and you have an excuse for carrying bulky stuff. Edit: Kevin Mitnick's The Art of Deception is an oldie but goodie detailing most of this stuff. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18160.The_Art_of_Decepti...
on “Billions of devices imperiled by new clickless Bluetooth attack” ↗If you're looking for other stories, The Art of Deception (Mitnick specific) and The Art of Intrusion (not all Mitnick) have a ton.
on “Kevin Mitnick has died” ↗…own style. [the Game] - this book is about the secret lives of pickup artists and their quest to find either a Beta or Alpha Gal. This book offers- ZERO advice if you are looking for a Gamma. [The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security] - from Kevin Mitnick, one of the fore-most books on social engineering. Reading this book kept us out of a few scams.
on “Ask YC: Best ways to become socially adept?” ↗…the fact that in any system or process that needs to be secure, humans are by far the weakest link. The legendary/infamous hacker Kevin Mitnick wrote about his social engineering practices in his book Art of Deception. Everyone here should give it a read.
on “Fake femme fatale dupes IT guys at US government agency” ↗…Steven (2001) Crypto: How Code Rebels Beat the Government – Saving Privacy in the Digital Age MacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future Mitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception Poulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld Raymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming Taleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness, 2E…
on “Ask HN: Are there any books that inspire or highly influence the way you work?” ↗…Monitoring by Richard Bejtlich Dark Territory by Fred Kaplan The Code Book by Simon Singh Hacked Again by Scott N. Schober The Hacker Playbook by Peter Kim The Art of Invisibility by Kevin Mitnick The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick See the full list at https://www.readthistwice.com/lists/best-cybersecurity-books
on “Show HN: A compilation of cybersecurity book recommendations from 25 articles” ↗Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Material which kicks off with the Golden Compass is a great read. Sherlock Holmes stories are fun. The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick is also a good read. Pierre
on “Ask YC: favorite books” ↗The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick is a fun read. It's more about how to defend against social engineering, but you can take it from the other side too. :)
on “Ask HN: Resources on social engineering” ↗I'm surprised "The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security" by Kevin D. Mitnick didn't make the list. (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Deception-Controlling-Element-Secu...)
on “Top Ten Books About Hackers” ↗The book is also really good (didn't actually watch the movie) http://www.amazon.com/Catch-Me-If-You-Can/dp/0767905385 I also enjoyed Kevin Mitnick's book The Art of Deception, also on "Social Engineering"/con artists. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Deception-Controlling-Element-Secu...
on “How To Crash A Party” ↗The book by Frank Abagnale is a pageturner too. I've always liked reading those "social hacking" books, like Catch Me If You Can, or Kevin Mitnick's story The Art of Deception.
on “The Ultimate Counterfeiter Isn’t a Crook — He’s an Artist” ↗I remember having a very good time reading Mitnick's "Art of Deception" ten years ago. A very good overview of what is social engineering, its methods, risks and consequences.
on “Computer Crime, Then and Now” ↗