Tsutomu Shimomura

Tsutomu Shimomura is a Japanese scientist and computer security expert based in the United States, who gained fame when he, together with computer journalist John Markoff, tracked down and helped the FBI arrest hacker Kevin Mitnick. Takedown, his 1996 book on the subject, was later adapted for the screen in Takedown in 2000. Image File history File links TsutomuShimomura. ... Image File history File links TsutomuShimomura. ... The physicist Albert Einstein is probably historys most widely recognized scientist. ... Computer security is a field of computer science concerned with the control of risks related to computer use. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... John Markoff (born October 24, 1949) is an American writer and journalist. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... The Chicago Police Department arrests a man A protester is arrested during a demonstration. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Hacker (computer security). ... Kevin Mitnick Kevin David Mitnick (born August 6, 1963) is one of the most famous hackers to be jailed. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Biography

Though a citizen of Japan, Shimomura grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. Princeton, New Jersey, is the name of a section of Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. ...

Shimomura does not have a high school or any college degrees. ^{[citation needed]}

At Caltech he studied under Nobel laureate Richard Feynman. After Caltech, he went on to work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he continued his hands-on education in the position of staff physicist. Richard Phillips Feynman (May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) (surname pronounced FINE-man; in IPA) was one of the most influential American physicists of the 20th century, expanding greatly the theory of quantum electrodynamics, quark theory, and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium. ... Los Alamos National Laboratory, aerial view from 1995. ...

In 1989, he became a research scientist in the physics department at the University of California at San Diego, and senior fellow at the San Diego Supercomputing Center. The University of California, San Diego (popularly known as UCSD) is a public, coeducational university located in La Jolla, California. ...

In 1992, he testified before Congress on issues regarding the privacy and security (or lack thereof) of cellular telephones. Cellular redirects here. ...

He is best known for events in 1995, when he assisted with tracking down the "computer outlaw" Kevin Mitnick. Shimomura and journalist John Markoff wrote a book, Takedown, about the pursuit, and the book was later adapted into a movie of the same name. Kevin Mitnick Kevin David Mitnick (born August 6, 1963) is one of the most famous hackers to be jailed. ... John Markoff (born October 24, 1949) is an American writer and journalist. ...

Shimomura presently lives in San Diego.

Criticism and controversy

Kevin Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and trial were controversial, and have caused some computer industry journalists to raise legal and ethical questions concerning the events surrounding him. California author Jonathan Littman wrote a 1997 book about the case called The Fugitive Game: Online with Kevin Mitnick, in which he presented Mitnick's side of the story—a very different version from the events written in Shimomura and Markoff's Takedown.[1] In his book, Littman made allegations of journalistic impropriety against Markoff and of the legality of Shimomura's involvement in the matter, as well as suggesting that many parts of Takedown were made up for self-serving purposes by its authors. Further controversy came over the release of the movie Takedown, with Littman alleging that portions of the film were taken from his book The Fugitive Game without permission.[2]

Writing credits

• Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin Mitnick, America's Most Wanted Computer Outlaw—By the Man Who Did It (with John Markoff), 1996, Hyperion Books. ISBN 0786862106
  • French title: Cybertraque, 1998, ISBN 2259184022
• "Minimal Key Lengths for Symmetric Ciphers to Provide Adequate Commercial Security", January 1996 (co-authors: Shimomura, Bruce Schneier, Ronald L. Rivest, Matt Blaze, Whitfield Diffie, Eric Thompson, Michael Wiener) (pdf)

John Markoff (born October 24, 1949) is an American writer and journalist. ... Bruce Schneier Bruce Schneier (born January 15, 1963) is an American cryptographer, computer security specialist, and writer. ... Professor Ron Rivest Professor Ronald Linn Rivest (born 1947, Schenectady, New York) is a cryptographer, and is the Viterbi Professor of Computer Science at MITs Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. ... Matt Blaze is a researcher in the areas of secure systems, cryptography, and trust management. ... Whitfield Diffie Bailey Whitfield Whit Diffie (born June 5, 1944) is a US cryptographer and one of the pioneers of public-key cryptography. ... Eric Thompson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

External links

• Shimomura biography
• Web site for the book
• Tsutomu Shimomura at The Internet Movie Database