In the 1980s, when payphones, modems, and bulletin board systems (BBSs) connected a secretive underground of digital explorers, one name began to echo across hacker channels: Dark Dante. Behind the alias was Kevin Poulsen, a Californian prodigy who would become both a symbol of the daring early hacker culture and, later, one of its most unlikely reformers.
From curious teen to phone phreak
Poulsen’s fascination with technology began in his teens in Los Angeles. He was drawn to the telephone network. Like many in that generation, he was inspired by the legendary “phone phreaks” of the 1970s and their exploration of Ma Bell’s inner workings. By the early 1980s, Poulsen had joined this evolving culture, choosing the handle “Dark Dante”, a reference to Dante Alighieri (the poet who ventured into Hell).
Cracking systems
By the mid-1980s, Poulsen had moved beyond curiosity to mastery. He became adept at penetrating telephone company systems, government computers, and the networks of private corporations.
He gained unauthorized access to ARPA and Defence Department networks, Pacific Bell and telephone switches, and Los Angeles law enforcement databases. He didn’t sell stolen data or cause major damage; instead, he often pursued prestige and power, the hacker’s version of infamy.
In 1988, one of his intrusions put him on the map: Poulsen hacked into federal computers connected to security investigations, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
The Man Who Hijacked KIIS-FM
Poulsen’s most famous hack, however, didn’t involve government data: it involved pop radio. In 1990, Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM ran a contest: the 102nd caller would win a brand-new Porsche 944 S2.
Dark Dante made sure he would be that caller. Using his deep understanding of the telephone switching system, Poulsen seized control of all phone lines going into the station. Every caller was blocked, except him. He won the Porsche.
He also won the attention of the FBI, which now had a media-friendly cyber outlaw to pursue.
The capture
By this point, Poulsen was living under aliases, evading law enforcement, and continuing his network intrusions. His knack for disappearing earned him comparisons to Kevin Mitnick, another hacker then on the run.
In 1991, an episode of NBC’s Unsolved Mysteries featured him, and in a twist worthy of a thriller, the show’s phone lines were mysteriously disabled during his segment.
That same year, he was arrested in a Los Angeles supermarket.
In 1994, Kevin Poulsen pleaded guilty to wire fraud, computer fraud, money laundering, and unauthorized access to federal computers. He was sentenced to 51 months in prison. At the time, it was the longest prison term ever imposed for hacking in the United States.
From hacker to journalist
After his release in 1995, Poulsen walked away from hacking, but not from technology. He began writing about the digital world for outlets like Wired, SecurityFocus, and The Daily Beast. His deep understanding of systems and subcultures made him a rare insider who could explain hacking to the public without sensationalism.
In 2006, Poulsen and Aaron Swartz developed the SecureDrop platform (then called DeadDrop), a secure system for whistleblowers to send documents to journalists, now used by major media outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
He also became a senior editor at Wired, overseeing cybercrime and security coverage, and authored “Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground” (2011), chronicling the rise of Max Butler, a.k.a. “Iceman.”
The legacy of Dark Dante
Kevin Poulsen’s story stands out for his evolution. He embodied the hacker archetype — curious, rebellious, brilliant — but also demonstrated that redemption and reformation are possible within the same digital world that once condemned you.
Today, “Dark Dante” is no longer feared but respected, both for his technical insight and his ethical commitment to transparency and security journalism.