Response to analysis of Hollywood hacking scenes

We were required to watch a video where a professional hacker reviews famous hacking scenes from movies. Throughout the video a few things are clear. Firstly, there is a wide range of quality and realism. Some of the scenes use real world exploits, and even show actual programs that hackers run. While the amount of time seems to be exaggerated in these scenes, they stay consistent with what would happen in real life. Other scenes are completely ridiculous. One example that comes to mind is the SQL injection that’s somehow used in a distant future attack on an interstellar spaceship. Another examples is a scene with IP addresses that don’t exist.

In response to question of how the media influences our understanding of hacking, I would say a few things. First, because there is such a wide range of content, I’m not sure it’s possible to generalize the entire media in this way. Some forms of hacking media are quite good and seem to portray the real world. The forms of media that don’t do this, appear to make it a much flashier occupation than it is. This is especially noticeable in the first scene we watched, where they are using screens with 3D images that don’t exist to perform digital forensics. Another way the media influences our perceptions is the efficiency of the trade. This might just be an artifact of the time constraints involved, but hacks in movies that might take many days or months in the real world, are frequently done with in a few minutes on screen. This is probably the most consistent unrealistic influence on our understanding of hacking that we find in the media.