This morning, I was listening to the Social-Engineer.org podcast with a special interview with Kevin Mitnick. It has been suggested that I was trolling Kevin, that I had a personal problem with Kevin, or that I hated Kevin and/or was jealous of him. This is simply not accurate. In my blog post, I state that,

“Unfortunately, some people feel they are simply far too important to pay it forward, too busy to bother with the little fish that wants to learn, too intelligent to ever be wrong, and too self-centered to share the spotlight with the community. I can name a handful of people that fit these categories, and unfortunately, many of them have the lectern.”

It is unfortunate that there were a handful of people that would jump to the conclusion that I was grouping Kevin into that group. Trust me, the people that are in this group have earned their place, and I do not feel that Kevin Mitnick is in that place by any stretch. As Kevin correctly noted in the interview with the SE.org crew, I have never met or interacted with Kevin directly, and would only have a limited perspective based on online interactions.

I picked up Ghost in the Wires while on vacation in Seattle last week, as I really needed a break from reading about Chinese Information Warfare theory from Tim Thomas. I have to admit, I am absolutely hooked on the book, and Kevin deserves all of the success and exposure that he is receiving. If you have happened to be holding back on the book thinking it was going to be strictly about whistling launch codes or at a technical level different than your own, I would strongly encourage you to reconsider. The book is completely accessible; in fact, Kevin goes out of his way to explain things in layperson terms. The aspect of the book that I am particularly impressed with is in his description of the emotions and the vulnerability he shares with the reader throughout the book. Kevin is a guy who has been the statue far more than the pigeon, and for him to convey that level of openness and honesty is admirable.

So, to set the record straight for anyone that is still confused and cares… I do not have a grudge against Kevin Mitnick by any stretch. In fact, I hope I have the chance to meet him in person at Derbycon for what I hope is the beginning of a long term friendship. Furthermore, I think that Kevin said it best in his interview with Chris, Dave, and Jim regarding people trolling that only has limited interaction with Kevin or others people in the community (rather than paraphrase the comments, listen to it here). I can only imagine how difficult it is to manage others’ expectations, particularly strangers.

Finally… If Kevin and or others in the community felt I was trying to undermine or troll on Kevin’s success with his book, I sincerely apologize. I can assure you that my intention with my blog post was strictly related to the opportunity to share the love and throw a bone to the entire security community. At times, I have been critical to Kevin’s tweets and notices of book signings (even comparing the marketing strategy to *shudders* Gregory D. Evans of Ligatt Security) but completely understand Marketing 101, and do not blame him for it.