NetworkTigers ranks the top 10 old movies about hackers from 1982 to 2013.
How important is cybersecurity? Let Hollywood show rather than tell with these top 10 old movies about hackers and the evolution of modern technology. Since the early 1980s, scriptwriters and movie executives have begun to consider the importance of cybersecurity seriously and have incorporated it into some of the best and biggest films of the last fifty years. These top 10 movies about hackers and hacking run the gamut from classics to modern-day and show how cybercriminals can sway the stakes in everything from homeland security to theme park meltdown.
10. Hackers (1995)
No top 10 cybersecurity movie list would be complete without this 1990s campy cult classic. Dade Murphy, alias Zero Cool, is a hacking prodigy who, at age 11, caused the biggest crash in New York Stock Exchange history and got himself banned from handling a computer or phone until his 18th birthday. The story picks up with his move to NYC at 18, where he rechristens himself Crash Override and falls in with a street hacking gang, including Angelina Jolie, who plays fellow hacker Acid Burn. The film follows the gang’s attempts to battle The Plague, a superhacker-turned-IT expert for a major oil company who has plans to steal millions from his job. The movie is famous for its early visuals of hacking, including a 3D rendering of its main malware “The Worm” as well as the inclusion of “Cookie Monster”, a plot point based on a real virus known for “eating” the data of a Gibson supercomputer. Allegedly, the virus could only be stopped by typing the word “cookie.”
Initially, the film received poor ratings for “buy[ing] into the computer-kid-as-elite-rebel mystique.” While much of the technology in Hackers would never hold up today (especially the use of pay phones to anonymize the gang’s hacking activity), ironically enough, the very attitude that attracted criticism in the 90s has now been adopted into the mainstream by the rise of social media, Silicon Valley tech execs, and the thrill of famous hacking heists.
9. Jurassic Park (1993)
If you ask anybody what they remember from Jurassic Park, the answer is more likely to be dinosaurs than cybersecurity. But the entire plot of the theme park’s meltdown hinges upon a virus launched into the mainframe by computer network expert Dennis Nedry (best known as “Newman,” the nemesis of Jerry Seinfeld). Nedry has an ulterior motive to steal and sell dinosaur embryos to one of the park’s competitors, so he shuts down the park’s security systems (including many of the locking doors and electrified fences) to make his escape. This classic sci-fi adventure film is famous not only for its dinosaur special effects but also for the cautionary tale about the importance of using technology the right way and hiring trustworthy employees.
8. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
On the lighter side of hacking movie fare is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This John Hughes coming-of-age movie features a Chicago teen who uses his hacking skills to buy himself and his friends time away from school, embracing the motto “life’s too short.” Ferris Bueller hacks into the school’s attendance system to lower his recorded absences and hooks up an intercom to a cassette player to play a believable message to anyone calling his house. The movie has inspired generations of teenagers to take life more lightheartedly – as well as one Long Island teen who took the film more literally and hacked into his own school’s system using a keylogger to change his grades and wreak havoc in the schedules of 300 other students on the first day of school.
7. Tron (1982)
Tron and its 2010 remake are based around the David vs. Goliath story of a talented computer engineer who has to use his skills to “hack back” against an evil corporation. The story moves into a digital sci-fi world where the hero has to defeat an omniscient Master Control Program in a series of gladiatorial games to escape cyberspace. Tron is an excellent example of how Hollywood effects can be used to imagine what hacking might look like inside a computer screen.
6. The Fifth Estate (2013)
This unauthorized retelling of the Wikileaks hack is a must-see for anyone interested in Julian Assange, whistleblowers, and the world of “hacktivism.” The film walks a fine line when analyzing Assange’s character and questions whether the violation of privacy is worth the exposure of certain state secrets. Major systems hacked by Assange include the Pentagon, NASA, and Citibank. The Fifth Estate is based loosely on the experiences of journalist Daniel Domscheit-Berg, who began as Assange’s partner before parting ways with him.
5. Office Space (1999)
This black comedy satirizes the doldrums of office life. It follows the story of software engineer Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), who is left in a blissful state when his hypnotherapist dies mid-session. Office Space delivers standout comedic performances while capturing the nostalgia of the 90s. Three coworkers (including Gibbons) turned to hacking to embezzle small amounts of money from their massive software company, Initech, but soon found themselves in over their heads. A charming romantic subplot featuring Jennifer Aniston makes this hacking comedy sizzle.
4. The Italian Job (2003)
The Italian Job brings hacking out of dated 1990s graphics into the 21st century. One of the most famous scenes of this heist movie is a successful infrastructure hack. The film’s car chase sequence is a result of sophisticated hacking efforts from a British cybercriminal gang that cripples a city’s traffic control program. This allows getaway cars to speed through the gridlocked city, stealing gold bullion out from under the noses of the Italian mafia and police.
3. War Games (1983)
One of the earliest mainstream films about hacking still deserves a place on the top ten list. War Games tells the story of an American high school student who inadvertently hacks into the US Air Force missile launch system. The confusion between the FBI, Russian state actors, and the supercomputer almost precipitates World War III. For a follow-up to the classic film, consider watching 1987’s Terminal Entry, where a group of high school students unknowingly create backdoor access to a terrorist organization’s network.
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
The Swedish original film and its 2011 American remake follow the titular female hacker Lisbeth Salander and her journalist compatriot Mikael Blomkvist, who are dedicated to unraveling a series of grotesque murders from over 40 years ago. Lisbeth Salander is one of the only mainstream female hacker characters on the list and is known for her non-conformist “take-no-prisoners” attitude and her traumatic past.
1. The Matrix (1999)
Perhaps the best-known movie about hackers of all time, The Matrix has spawned a beloved cinematic franchise and a way of discussing and understanding the multi-verse concept. The Matrix follows the story of computer programmer and hacker Neo, who discovers (spoiler alert) that human reality has been transformed into a computer-generated simulation designed to extort human beings for their energy. Neo joins forces with a group of rebels, including the female hacker Trinity, to fight back against the machines.
