Tasked with reviewing a video showing several movies and tv shows highlighting “hacking” scenes, I was asked to explain my thoughts on the medias influence on cybersecurity. In today’s world, the media plays a huge role in shaping our perceptions of everything, not to mention cybersecurity. Through watching the different scenes of movies and TV shows hacking, I believe it’s pretty obvious that these depictions leave a heavy influence on the average person’s understanding of cybersecurity. Next, a break down the individual scenes of what was depicted and covered in the videos examples:

Mr. Robot’s scene offered a glimpse into the exciting and competitive world of hacking through a realistic hackathon scene. I enjoyed how it brought fiction and reality together, emphasizing the practical relevance of ethical hacking in the form of real-life hackathons. They utilized a goal from a previous years real world hackathon. In the Ocean’s 8 scene it covered a more nefarious side of hacking through phishing attacks, emphasizing the potential risks of unknowingly clicking on malicious links. The Matrix Reloaded scene showed NMap network scanning and SSH Nuke, again bringing a scene to realism. Although comically, the use of gloves was an inaccuracy. The idea of hackers wearing fingerless gloves to reduce typing errors adds a touch of authenticity and all in all, I laughed at her taking a point from the score on that one. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo scene covered wireless network hacking with the use of a PWN Phone, it showed the ease with which hackers can exploit network vulnerabilities remotely. In The Social Network scene, the lesson was that hackers target the low-hanging fruit, emphasizing the strategic approach of cybercriminals, focusing on easier targets. The Fate of the Furious scene dug into the scary reality of remote vehicle hacking and its potential implications. Wargames movie emphasizes the importance of secure password practices and the need for two-factor authentication and biometrics. The Star Trek Discovery episode scene was far fetched, showing them using SQL injections in the future, the host mentioned this is far fetched as we would need to assume whatever was being hacked HAD to have been coded in SQL for this to work – one of many many languages (Let alone the future) In the Silicon Valley scene it illustrated the dangers of fake access points and the potential for manipulation via Wi-Fi networks. One of the many Jason Bourne movies covered the unveiling of covert operations and backdoor programs within the CIA, shedding light on the realm of government cyber capabilities. The Hackers movie scenes were very realistic, they showed hexadecimal code and ASCII characters. They utilized a “Da Vinci Virus” to demand millions holding an oil rig hostage.

Through all of these anyone can see the media’s portrayal of hacking and cybersecurity significantly shapes our understanding. Scenes like this slip in quietly in many movies not centered on hacking alone as you can see with the list above. And that being the case, people draw conclusions to what they believe hacking is like through these limited perceptions. While these scenes often amplify the movie/episodes thrill and drama of hacking, they also stress the importance of being prepared in the face of evolving cybersecurity threats. I think its important to utilize media to help the vast public maintain a better understanding of security threats and what to look for. Using the media as a tool could help keep people more prepared, so long as the scenes are realistic; and an added bonus of boosting ratings while they are at it!