Poulsen Kevin Li

Kevin Li Poulsen

Kevin Lee Poulsen is a hacker of telephone networks in the past. The Chief Editor of www.wired.com in the present.

Biography

In Kevin's childhood always attracted things, mysterious, difficult for understanding. At early age he was fond of occultism and some time its house ownerships reminded vedmin a sabbath. For the same reason he was captivated by telephone networks of "Ma Bell". By 16 years Kevin Poulsen was already pilot phreaker able to connect lines in a teleconference and to listen to others telephone conversations. At this age parents presented it for birthday the TRS-80 computer (known in narrow circles as TRaSh-80) for 200 USD. The machine was almost useless for the hacker if only not to consider existence of the built-in modem. Practically from the very beginning of the frikersky activity, Kevin Poulsen kept in contact with other phreaker Ron Austin. They often met at first on teleconferences, then regularly kept in contact on the computer. But, despite virtual friendship, both hid from each other the obtained information and did not miss an opportunity to brag of the achievements.

At the end of 1983 Kevin got on fraud with phones and illegal penetration into UCLA network. Then it was released - Kevin did not reach an age of majority yet. In two years he, together with the friend phreaker Mark Lothaire rented apartment around Menlo Park and got a job in the computer campaign "SRI International". In the afternoon, at office of firm, it was Kevin Poulsen who was engaged in studying of reliability of government networks, but, having come back home, there was Dark Dante which got into confidential back streets of ARPANet at night and hunted for confidential information. He aimed to learn as much as possible about everything, to become the best of the best. Poulsen learned even to use master keys and to unlock any doors, purchased a set of objects for tracking and listening. Often he used the skills for observation of federal agents and computer personnel of "Pacific Bell" who hunted for the importunate hacker for a long time. Kevin loved worthy rivals - when a system did not give in from clicking of one key when it was necessary to break the head. But most of all it liked to play with military computers. Having passed to work into SUN Microsystems, Poulsen, using access to government network, got on computers of Department of Protection of the USA and copied files on which there were data on plans of military.

Until the end of 1987 federals unsuccessfully tried to find mysterious Dark Dante. But Kevin after all got, and got foolishly. He forgot to pay timely lease of a garage and the owner who broke the lock detected telephone and technical equipment for just space amount there. Brought to Kevin charges on 19 points, including theft over classified military information and espionage. One and a half years which he stayed did not dull his passion to hacking and, having been released, Dark Dante fell back into the old ways again. Kevin who continued to crack regularly computer systems was accused of numerous unauthorized penetrations, of theft of internal access codes to the phones "Pacific Bell", of electronic fraud and illegal manipulations with telephone networks. This time he received 5 years of prison. In 1998 Poulsen went out of prison, and go the television company "Tech TV" for which website it covered events from the world of a computer security at once invited to work. Managed poulsen to stay also the editor of the www.securityfocus.com resource. Today he is dear person both in the world of high technologies, and among journalistic brotherhood.

Interesting Facts

Only the interest of the press in Poulsen's actions gave the chance to Kevin to begin new life as the expert in security

• Triumph in Kevin's "career" cracking of a telephone line of radio of Los Angeles (USA) is considered. To win the competition held by KIIS-FM with expensive prizes Keven intercepted control over telephone exchange and at the right time blocked external access to 25 telephone lines of the air, thereby having ensured an opportunity to phone the 102nd and to win the Porsche 944 S2 car.
• In October, 2006 Poulsen helped to calculate in short terms of 6 pedophiles who used MySpace network for an exit to contact with the victims. The script written by Poulsen allows to verify information on users of MySpace with the database of the persons who committed sexual crimes on the website of the U.S. Department of Justice that the staff of MySpace considered impossible earlier. In databases of 46 states investigated by the program more than three hundred thousand sexy criminals are registered. Half-Sep noted that the program can detect only those pedophiles whose data are already present at the database on sexual crimes, and not "lit" for certain yet will hide the contacts. Poulsen's work allowed federal services to find already 744 potential pedophiles.

Links

Peoples.ru about Kevin Poulson