Alex Kasper
American cybersecurity educator, producer, and entrepreneur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
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
Return Fire
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
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
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]
