Before script kiddies, worms, and DDoS attacks, there was a whole generation of hackers prowling the embryonic net for good, evil, or just plain fun. Kevin Mitnick, Adrian Lamo, Cap’n Crunch, Kevin Poulson – these phreaks, backdoor artists and curious coders typify the infamous group of brainy, ambitious geeks who terrorized corporations and governments throughout the early era of computer connectivity.
It’s a great read and it seems pretty accurate, though I don’t pretend to be an expert on these guys. It’s interesting how these guys went from cheapskates whistling into a payphone to become some of the most influential people in tech today. For instance, that “blue box” up there was made by a pair of Steves.
The Fifteen Greatest Hacking Exploits [Tom’s Hardware]