The following showed up on three different mailing lists this morning. Apparently Kevin Mitnick will be getting his ham license back. According to the FCC database, however, his reactivation hasn't happened yet. 73. Jim, W6CF From the New York Times -- <<http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/27/technology/27HACK.html>http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/27/technology/27HACK.html> F.C.C. Lets Convicted Hacker Go Back on Net By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (AP) A hacker once labeled by the federal government as "the most wanted computer criminal in U.S. history" has won a long fight to renew his ham radio license, and next month may resume surfing the Internet. The hacker, Kevin Mitnick, 39, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., served five years in federal prison for stealing software and altering data at Motorola, Novell, Nokia, Sun Microsystems and the University of Southern California. Prosecutors accused him of causing tens of millions of dollars in damage to corporate computer networks. Mr. Mitnick was freed in January 2000. The terms of his probation, which expires on Jan. 20, require that he get government permission before using computers, software, modems or any devices that connect to the Internet. His travel and employment also are limited. He has been allowed to use a cellphone and received permission this year to type a manuscript on a computer not connected to the Internet. "Not being allowed to use the Internet is kind of like not being allowed to use a telephone," Mr. Mitnick said today in a phone interview. He said he was starting a company to help companies protect themselves from computer attacks. Christopher Painter, deputy chief of the Justice Department's computer crime section and the former assistant United States attorney who prosecuted Mr. Mitnick, said that once Mr. Mitnick's probation is over, he will not be subject to any special surveillance. Mr. Mitnick led the Federal Bureau of Investigation on a three-year hunt that ended in 1995 when agents arrested him in an apartment in Raleigh, N.C., with help from a top security expert. During the chase, Mr. Mitnick continued breaking into computer networks and became a cult figure among hackers. He applied to renew his ham radio license in 1999, while in prison. The Federal Communications Commission ordered a hearing, noting that he once was "the most wanted computer criminal in U.S. history." Richard Sippel, an administrative law judge with the commission, granted the license in a ruling made public on Monday. Mr. Mitnick, who began using ham radios when he was 13, said it cost him more than $16,000 in legal expenses to persuade the commission to renew his license. Typically, renewals are free. Since his release from prison, Mr. Mitnick has appeared on television, as an expert witness in the courtroom and before Congress, offering advice about computer security. He also wrote a book, "The Art of Deception," which was published in October and describes ways in which computer network administrators are duped into revealing security details.