Media portrayals of cybersecurity topics follow the rules of crafting a good story. This in turn influences the public perception of cybersecurity. Today we will briefly discuss some of the different incorrect and correct ways that media portrays cybersecurity.
It’s a lot slower than that
The main portrayal of cybersecurity often seen in movies and TV shows is that of expedited hacking and infiltration of IT systems. This leads to the misconception that hacking is a quick process, and brute force devices are one-minute ordeals. This however is far from the truth. TV shows and movies do this to keep good pacing in storytelling, but hacking is often longer than portrayed. Breaches are often conducted over time and are not discovered in real time.
It is less visually engaging than imagined
Action and espionage movies usually showcase an elaborate UI. Because of this, there is a misconception that hackers use detailed and visually stunning processes over boring CLI. Hacking UI is not that visually exciting. No flashing “access granted” or changing colors and swirls. This is done in media as a design choice and to draw visual attention to the infiltration of systems.
Social engineering is a real danger on and off screen
Another thing that media portrays accurately is the power of social engineering, phishing and manipulation when it comes to unauthorized access. Hackers will leverage weak and repeat passwords, practices dangerous to security, honey potting and shoulder surfing to gain access to systems. Shows and movies that do this highlight the real vulnerability and lack of cybersecurity training in the real world. This perception is a good tool in creating awareness in real life security gaps.
Sometimes hacking is portrayed inaccurately intentionally to prevent copycats
Finally, hacking is often wrongly portrayed to protect real world assets. If portrayed too accurately, shows and movies run the risk of influencing copycat criminals by giving them ideas on how to infiltrate systems.