Alex Kasper | |
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| Born | Alexis C Kasperavičius (1968-04-14) April 14, 1968 (age 58) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
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Alex Kasper (born Alexis C Kasperavičius; April 14, 1968) is an American entrepreneur, cybersecurity educator, and video game producer. He is known for producing the 1995 video game Return Fire and for co-founding the security consultancy Defensive Thinking with Kevin Mitnick.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Kasper was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Los Angeles, California. As a teenager, he developed an interest in telephones and communications systems and later studied French horn performance at the University of Southern California.[2]
Career
[edit]Return Fire
[edit]From 1993 to 1995, Kasper produced Return Fire, a vehicular combat video game developed by Silent Software for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. In addition to producing the game, he served as sound designer and music supervisor.[2][3][4]
Return Fire received critical acclaim and won the 3DO Two-Player Game of the Year award in 1995.[3]
Defensive Thinking
[edit]According to a 2005 profile in Wired, Kasper was involved in the Southern California hacking community during the 1980s and 1990s.[2] He was later described by Kevin Mitnick as a longtime friend and collaborator in the memoir Ghost in the Wires.[5] Following Mitnick's release from prison, Kasper and Mitnick co-founded Defensive Thinking, a Los Angeles-based security consultancy focused on social engineering awareness and prevention.[2][6]
According to The Wall Street Journal, the company provided training programs for corporations, government agencies, and military organizations, including the U.S. Air Force and Marines.[1] Kasper and Mitnick also developed the Certified Social Engineering Prevention Specialist (CSEPS) program, a professional certification and training program focused on defense against social engineering attacks.[2][7]
Radio
[edit]Kasper and Mitnick co-hosted The DarkSide of the Internet, a weekly technology-oriented radio program broadcast on KFI-AM 640 in Los Angeles.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Ex-Hacker Kevin Mitnick Teaches From Experience". The Wall Street Journal. October 15, 2003. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f Gray, Patrick (June 6, 2005). "A Tale of Two Hackers". Wired. Archived from the original on June 8, 2005.
- ^ a b "And The Winner Is... 3DO Awards Honor Best of the Best for 1995". Business Wire. December 19, 1995. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014.
- ^ "Return Fire Credits (3DO)". MobyGames. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ^ Mitnick, Kevin D.; Simon, William L. (2011). Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker. Little, Brown and Company. pp. 97–99, 233–243. ISBN 978-0-316-03770-9. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ^ "After five years in jail, ex-computer hacker Mitnick changes sides". Ventura County Star. January 19, 2003. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
- ^ "Press Information". defensivethinking.com. Defensive Thinking, Inc. 2004. Archived from the original on June 8, 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ^ DarkSide of the Internet (radio). KFI (AM). 2001. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Alex Kasper at IMDb
- Alex Kasper at MobyGames
