topic Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies in Welcome

Worst Cybersecurity Movies

Kaity — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 15:42:34 GMT

Hi everyone!

I love movies, even bad ones. I'm an avid listener of the podcast How Did This Get Made and the next movie they're doing is Virtuosity. It got me thinking about other hilariously bad movies with a tech/sci-fi based plot...

So tell me, what movies have the worst depiction of cybersecurity?

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

planois — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 15:50:10 GMT

We should also have a post of the best movies or TV shows. I wonder how Mr Robot would fare.

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

Jesse_Mundis — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 18:09:00 GMT

All I have to say is:

https://imgur.com/KTY6fhv

CSI: Cyber's version of a "firewall".

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

jwilsonjx — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 17:37:39 GMT

I think the biggest problem with any technology in movies is that producers feel the need to water down the content to the least common denominator. To IT professionals, it then becomes a joke.

That being said, my vote for how poorly security is portrayed would have to go to Swordfish. Although, I did enjoy the movie from a soundtrack perspective 🙂

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

ChickenCurry — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 06:33:56 GMT

Its hilarious in the movies when a "cyber attack" happens. Ten people surround one screen and one person begins typing on the screen frantically like 200 words a minute, whilst giant lights flash on and off in the background.

Then someone randomly screams "quickly enable the honey pot do it now" or words to that effect

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

TonyDS — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 19:57:02 GMT

Not technially cyber, but the depiction of a Unix System in Jurassic Park always makes me chuckle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxIPcbmo1_U

Otherwise an all time classic movie!

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

Kaity — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 12:31:58 GMT

YES! I love that scene!!

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

Samhain — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 01:51:53 GMT

Considering Mr. Robot has "Anonymous Content" as a technical advisor, and having watched every episode so far, they are pretty close on quite a bit of the technical aspects. While not an explicit roadmap on how to destroy the economy via EvilCorp, many of the tools they have displayed are real and used daily. Shodan.io, Kali Linux, femto-cells, social engineering, honeypots, and mobile hijacking are just a few things displayed so far.

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

DAlexander — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 02:43:22 GMT

Reminds me of the scene in NCIS when Abby and McGee are both typing on the same keyboard!

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

CISOScott — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 11:39:05 GMT

I was going to say those TV shows where "abbey" or her counterpart can dig up the pertinent details on an unknown subject in 5 seconds, immediately tie in to the close circuit TV systems, download his credit card info and find out he is shopping at a Walmart in Topeka, KS and have the squad there to arrest him before he finishes checking out.

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

ChickenCurry — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 17:51:17 GMT

The worse movies and tv shows are the ones where they have caught the perpetrator on film at a crime scene. The investigator shouts " zoom in and enhance". As if by magic by pressing one key the image quality seems to get better as the camera zooms in without blurring :).

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

rslade — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 18:19:04 GMT

I vote for any movie or TV show that has someone trying to trace/track the bad guy "hackers," or where the good guy "hackers" are trying to hide from the evil corporation/government, and multiple hops are being used and somebody has a huge screen with all the links and the links are progress bars (usually turning red) running like fuses all over the screen.

Along with my technical book reviews I've reviewed a number of works of fiction with technical themes, although I haven't done many movies. (I did do "Hackers" and "Sneakers.")

In terms of movies you can find some I've reviewed briefly on my library account. Some technical films made it into this list of complete and utter fantasy.

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

Kaity — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 18:23:36 GMT

Ha! Love it - thank you for sharing!

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

denbesten — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 01:13:48 GMT

Firewall (2006). A big security reseller rented out a theater for a premiere-day screening that included lunch, popcorn and the obligatory hawking of their goods. Don't know if the storyline, the technical flaws or the overall implausibility bothered me the most. The only good thing to come from it was a better understanding of why my wife (who worked in surgery) gets so frustrated watching medical shows/movies.

Also "special" are those TV shows with somebody watching a monitor that has no cables (video or power) attached.

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

denbesten — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 01:24:55 GMT

@TonyDS wrote:
Not technially cyber, but the depiction of a Unix System in Jurassic Park always makes me chuckle.

That is fsv/fsn. It is an actual X11 application, although it was never developed enough to be very functional. I've seen it in a few other movies too.

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

rslade — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 01:30:42 GMT

Somebody made a movie version of Ton Clancy's "Net Force" (which was bad enough), but (spoiler alert) it ends with some supposed "key" to the Internet kept in the US President's desk drawer (it looks like an oversized power bar) that will turn off the entire Internet when the button is pushed.

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

Kaity — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 12:38:48 GMT

@denbesten At least they included food with the bad movie - always helps!

Re: Worst Cybersecurity Movies

j_M007 — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 22:34:15 GMT

Hlarious!