Media plays a significant role in shaping our understanding when it comes to cybersecurity. Movies tend to dramatize hacking in order to create exciting scenes, which can lead to misconceptions. Older movies such as “Wargames” (1983) portray hacking as a simple endeavor where a boy uses someone else’s credentials found on a piece of paper. At the time, security was sloppy, and the public had limited knowledge about cybersecurity. With time, hacking became more sophisticated. In “The girl with the Dragon tattoo” (2011), the girl uses social engineering in order to enter the building. This demonstrates a deeper understanding of cybersecurity. “Skyfall” (2012) goes a bit further and uses hollywood jargon such as “omega site”, which adds fictional elements with the goal to make the scene more exciting, however it comes with the expense of technical accuracy. 

More recent movie, “The fate of the furious” (2017) exaggerates hacking by depicting the simultaneous takeover of multiple cars, which underscores contemporary fears about the vulnerabilities of interconnected systems. Tv show “Mr. Robot” (2015) brings more realism and complexity through CTF (capture the flag) competitions, although they have been fast-forwarded in order to, again, look more exciting. 

The portrayal of hacking in the media has evolved from simple to complex, more nuanced and technically informed. There is still, however, a need for dramatic effects which leads to a balance between reality and sensation. On the positive side, it does lead to more awareness and understanding of cybersecurity. It highlights the advancement in the technical field as well as difficulties that are in front of us.

References

Insider. (2021, March 16). Hacker Rates 12 Hacking Scenes In Movies And TV | How Real Is It? | Insider [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BqpU4V0Ypk

WIRED. (2021, April 29). Hacker Breaks Down Hacking Scenes From Movies & TV | WIRED [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsCrY2vWSr8