In this week’s module, we explore the perception of hacking and cybersecurity as portrayed by Hollywood’s blockbuster movies. While there are endless examples of just how cool it looks to hack a mainframe, or explore the matrix, it has certainly done much to obfuscate the realities of cybersecurity.

Whereas hacking has much, if not all of the limelight, it paints a picture of cybersecurity as some sweaty individual on the frontlines of the firewall hacking away, trying to stop the intruder from obtaining access (see 1995’s ‘Hackers‘). Even online ads, or TV commercials advertise the cybersecurity field as working in tactically lit rooms, staring at the mainframe terminal waiting to “own” anyone who dares to try and penetrate the defenses. Yet despite the flashy advertisements and movie scenes, the public’s perception of cybersecurity could not be further from the truth.

As with just about everything, the media tends to sensationalize things, and provide a picture that couldn’t be further from the truth.