Most films about cybersecurity tend to over-fictionalize or idolize hackers, cyberattacks and cybercrime. While some of our favorite movies still mix action and suspense with the cyberrealm, we've chosen to feature a small selection that's both authentic and entertaining.
These seven movies, three of which are documentaries, were either ahead of their time, particularly factual, or became part of popular culture. They represent less of the cyberpunk genre, and are more likely to be appreciated by security professionals.
A few years before Ferris Bueller chose his computer over a car, Matthew Broderick altered his high school grades for the first time as David in this quintessential 1980s movie. WarGames exposed the general population to hacking in a creative fashion. David gains access to a military supercomputer and accidentally triggers a multi-national nuclear threat exercise.
Silicon Valley giants like Google and Facebook became part of everyday life in the 2000s, but most users remain ignorant about what enables these platforms to be “free”. While online privacy has been catapulted to the forefront after events like the Cambridge Analytica exposé in 2018, Terms and Conditions May Apply delved into this topic in 2013. The documentary looks at how corporations and governments learn about consumers from their Internet and phone usage.
Even though the “one last job” trope is in full effect, the all-star cast of Sneakers (led by Robert Redford), delivers an entertaining plot. The movie balances comedy and suspense from the perspective of a security specialist team as they work to clear their criminal records with the NSA.
Keeping institutions safe from ever-evolving cyberthreats requires skilled and knowledgeable security experts. What separates The Defenders from other cybersecurity films is the care that it takes in interviewing people with deep historical understanding. This documentary concentrates on four famous cyberattacks and achieves rich storytelling through diverse conversation. Above all else, it shines a light on the unsung heroes that rarely get credit for protecting us day in and day out.
John McClain returns for the fourth installment of the Die Hard franchise, which is surprisingly accurate in its depiction of hacking’s negative potential. Justin Long (of “Mac vs PC” commercial fame) plays the hacker sidekick as the two hunt down criminals threatening to hold the energy grid hostage. This action movie is full of over-the-top fights and explosions, but also portrays malicious incidents like widespread attacks on critical infrastructure, including street lights and surveillance cameras. After Stuxnet (see Zero Days, below) ruined Iran's nuclear program in 2010, this movie's plot is more impressive in retrospect.
Will Smith is in the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes an unknowing player in a secret government conspiracy. Enemy of the State is a thriller/mystery with surveillance at its core. A villainous NSA official and his covert team use bugs, wires and top-secret satellite imagery in their relentless pursuit. The pace picks up when an ex-intelligence operative intervenes.
This documentary from director Alex Gibney pulls back the curtain on the malicious computer worm developed by the U.S. and Israel to sabotage a key part of Iran’s nuclear program. Named Stuxnet, this cyberweapon is widely seen as a leap in nation-state cyberwarfare capabilities. The film’s interviews shape a compelling narrative that sometimes feels like a fictional spy film.
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