A federal judge Monday banned convicted computer hacker Kevin Mitnick from taking part in a technology conference in Salt Lake City Wednesday.
Mitnick, who gained notoriety for his hacking exploits and spent several years in a federal prison in Lompac, Calif., won't be sitting on a computer security panel discussion at the Utah Information Technologies Association conference at the Salt Palace Convention Center. The judge kiboshed the appearance because Mitnick's prison release agreement prohibits him from "consulting or advising" on the topic of computer-related activity.Monday, Mitnick did an extended interview promoting the panel discussion on KSL's Doug Wright Show, where he answered callers' questions about computer security and told the story of his hacking exploits. He hacked for fun, he said, and never made any money from it.
Richard Nelson, president of UITA, said Mitnick's public relations representative had indicated that Mitnick had permission to appear from the U.S. probation office in California. A few days ago, the organization learned he might not be able to leave California.
Conference organizers are in the process of arranging a replacement for Mitnick on the cyber-security panel. They are planning on bringing in a senior staffer from a large company that deals with cyber security.
Nelson said he's sorry Mitnick can't participate. "He's eager to talk and disappointed he can't come. If you listened (to him on the radio show), he recognizes he made serious mistakes and he wanted to go forward.
"We're not trying to promote his career, but if he can help information technology companies in Utah and decision makers dealing with security issues determine what level of risk they want to take, that's good. There will always be risk, but you can reduce it by taking security measures."
The UITA conference, "Net Trends 2000: The Digital Revolution" takes place Wednesday and Thursday.