HACKER SET TO BE FREED AFTER 5 YEARS.

Byline: Phillip W. Browne Staff Writer

Kevin Mitnick, a San Fernando Valley computer hacker set to be freed today after five years in prison, insists he was ``like James Bond behind the computer,'' not a digital Dillinger trying to steal money.

``I saw myself as an electronic joy rider,'' Mitnick said during an interview with the ``60 Minutes'' television news show, his first public comments since his arrest. ``I was like James Bond behind the computer. I was just having a blast.

``It would be quite easy to become a millionaire. I could have simply accessed the computers of law firms that do acquisitions and mergers and traded on the information,'' the 36-year-old Monroe High School graduate said during the interview, which will air Sunday. ``I could have transferred funds.''

Authorities see Mitnick in a darker light. He was the first computer hacker ever to make it onto the FBI's 10 most wanted list. He was arrested in 1995 and pleaded guilty in March 1999 to five counts of computer and wire fraud after he illegally entered some of the world's most secure computers, at Sun Microsystems, Motorola and San Diego-based Qualcomm.

``He was not a mere prankster,'' federal prosecutor Chris Painter said. ``He caused millions in damages that caused these companies to shut down their networks and make upgrades and repairs. That's not a prankster.''

Painter said Mitnick's copying of secret files and password theft cost firms at least $10 million, and hundreds of millions more in repairs, upgrades and corporate delays.

For three years, Mitnick will be under supervised release and must stay away from computer hardware and software, cell phones, computer networks, personal information assistants and televisions that could be used for online access.

He is prohibited from working as a consultant to computer companies or in any firms with access to computers, Painter said. If he violates those terms, he could be rearrested and possibly sent back to prison.

``I think the sentence was appropriate for his conduct,'' Painter said. ``I hope he has learned his lesson and can get on with his life.''

The hacker's grandmother, Reba Vartanian, said she was elated he will finally be free.

``This should have been over a long time ago,'' Vartanian said, breaking into tears. ``I wanted to go to California to see him, but I felt he and his mother needed that time together.''

Vartanian has been asked not to speak about the case, she said.

Mitnick's computer hacking exploits fueled Web sites, books and an upcoming movie. He became a hero in the underground world of computer hackers.

The magazine 2600: The Hacker Quarterly has maintained a ``Free Kevin'' Web site since his capture. A posting on the site from the Webmaster on Thursday said the hacking community will work to help the freed icon.

``Life is going to be extremely difficult for him,'' the posting reads ``The terms of his supervised release . . . make it virtually impossible for Kevin to use his abilities in a constructive manner.''