Who Is Samy Kamkar? Age, Biography and Wiki
Samy Kamkar, born on December 10, 1985, is a well-known American entrepreneur and hacker, renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to cybersecurity and technology innovation. As of 2025, Samy is 39 years old. His career took off with his famous creation of the "Samy worm," which became one of the first recognized social network worms. Over the years, he has transitioned into a successful businessman, focusing on various tech ventures and startups.
| Occupation | Computer Programmer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | December 10, 1985 |
| Age | 39 Years |
| Birth Place | N/A |
| Horoscope | Sagittarius |
| Country |
Popularity
Samy Kamkar's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
While Samy Kamkar's exact height and weight are not widely documented, he is often described as having a lean physique typical of tech entrepreneurs who maintain a busy lifestyle. Reports suggest he is approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall. His dedication to fitness and a healthy lifestyle is evident but not extensively covered in public domains.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
As of 2025, Samy Kamkar has chosen to keep his personal life relatively private. It is rumored that he is currently single; however, details regarding any past relationships have not been publicized extensively. Family plays a significant part in Kamkar's life; he often credits his early interests in technology to his upbringing and familial influences.
Net Worth and Salary
Samy Kamkar's net worth is estimated to be around $5 million in 2025. His wealth primarily derives from his entrepreneurial ventures, including the establishment of startups and consulting projects within the tech industry. While specific annual earnings are not widely disclosed, his innovative projects and public speaking engagements likely contribute significantly to his income.
Career, Business and Investments
Samy Kamkar has evolved from a renowned hacker to a successful businessman, affecting various tech avenues. He is the founder of several startups, focusing on cybersecurity solutions and digital privacy. In recent years, Kamkar has become an influential figure in the tech industry, participating in conferences and seminars that promote cybersecurity awareness. His investments in innovative technology and startups aim to foster growth within the cybersecurity sector.
Samy Kamkar (born December 10, 1985) is an American privacy and security researcher, computer hacker and entrepreneur. At the age of 16, he dropped out of high school. One year later, he co-founded Fonality, a unified communications company based on open-source software, which raised over $46 million in private funding.
In 2005, he created and released the fastest spreading virus of all time, the MySpace worm Samy, and was subsequently raided by the United States Secret Service under the Patriot Act.
He also created SkyJack, a custom drone which hacks into any nearby Parrot drones allowing them to be controlled by its operator and created the Evercookie, which appeared in a top-secret NSA document revealed by Edward Snowden and on the front page of The New York Times.
He has also worked with The Wall Street Journal, and discovered the illicit mobile phone tracking where the Apple iPhone, Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone mobile devices transmit GPS and Wi-Fi information to their parent companies.
His mobile research led to a series of class-action lawsuits against the companies and a privacy hearing on Capitol Hill. Kamkar has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.
Social Network
Kamkar has a robust online presence, making him accessible to fans and followers around the world. His social media accounts primarily highlight his work in technology and cybersecurity. Samy is active on platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, where he shares insights, project updates, and tips on digital security.
In 2005, Kamkar released the Samy worm, the first publicly released self-propagating cross-site scripting worm, onto MySpace. The worm carried a payload that would display the string "but most of all, Samy is my hero" on a victim's profile and cause the victim to unknowingly send a friend request to Kamkar.
When a user viewed that profile, they would have the payload planted on their page. Within just 20 hours of its October 4, 2005 release, over one million users had run the payload, making it the fastest spreading virus of all time. The MySpace team temporarily shut down MySpace to fix the problem that allowed the worm to operate.
Education
Samy Kamkar's educational background includes attending California State University, where he studied computer science. His passion for technology was evident from a young age, leading him to self-study various hacking techniques and cybersecurity measures. His academic and self-directed learning has significantly influenced his innovative career path in technology.
In early 2011, Kamkar joined the Board of Directors of Brave New Software, a non-profit organization originally funded by a multimillion-dollar U.S. State Department grant.
The nonprofit is responsible for creating uProxy with the University of Washington and Google Ideas, a browser extension intended to allow users in repressive regimes to access the Internet without being monitored.
The nonprofit also created Lantern, a network designed to circumvent Internet censorship and defeat the suppression of digital information and freedom of speech.
