Movies featuring cybersecurity themes: what to watch

Hacker movies: what to watch about cybersecurity and beyond

Spy droids, a phone hidden in a bag of chips, hacked traffic lights… No, this isn’t a random set of words, and we haven’t lost our minds: these are very real movie plotlines from famous directors.

At Kaspersky, we really love movies and, of course, never miss a chance to analyze them from a cybersecurity angle — even those that are far from the topic of cybersecurity. In this selection, you’ll find our best reviews to help you choose how to spend your Friday night.

Getting to grips with cybersecurity basics

If you’re into movies about hackers and cybercriminals, the blogposts below are for you. Some films show realistic attack scenarios, and do a great job as a Cybersecurity 101 textbook, while others simply charm the viewer with magical keyboard tapping. Take your pick:

Detailed description of cybercrime: vishing, spoofing, money laundering, malware.

“On the Line”: a movie about vishing

Korean filmmakers have made a film about cybercrime that deserves a look — if only as a training tool.

Hack the lights: The Italian Job in terms of cybersecurity

We trace how the perception of hackers has evolved based on the classic traffic-light-hacking scheme in three versions (British, American, Indian) of The Italian Job.

A modern take on the movie Hackers

To mark the film’s 25th anniversary, we examine Hackers in terms of modern information security.

A fresh look at the classics

Many of our favorite thrillers, as well as spy and superhero movies, are a goldmine of useful (and harmful) cybersecurity advice. And although most of these films aren’t directly related to cybersecurity, you can still draw valuable lessons from them — for example, that a single bag of chips won’t save you from phone surveillance. Read more in our posts:

Terminator 6/3: Sarah Connor and a bag of chips

In the latest Terminator movie, is Sarah Connor protected against cell-phone tracking?

Cybersecurity in 007’s world

What do James Bond and his Secret Intelligence Service colleagues know about cybersecurity?

The Matrix Resurrections security assessment

A look at what’s changed in the Matrix in the 18 years since the last update.

Cybersecurity errors at Nakatomi

We examine the first installment in the Die Hard series from a cybersecurity standpoint.

May the Force be with you

These are our traditional cybersecurity reviews of the Star Wars universe. We talk about local infrastructure, technologies, and glaring mistakes: as you’ll see, sometimes even the most advanced corners of the Empire neglect basic security rules. Warning: the posts might contain spoilers!

More Star Wars reviews can be found here.

The Bad Batch: Tantiss base security

Cybersecurity measures of Tantiss base as depicted in the third season of “Star Wars: The Bad Batch”

A look at cybersecurity issues in season 3 of The Mandalorian show.

Cybersecurity in season 3 of The Mandalorian

As per tradition, on May 4, we review the status of cybersecurity in a galaxy far, far away.

The cybersecurity of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

A report on attitudes to information security a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, as exemplified in Star Wars: Episode IX.

Solo: A Star Wars Story gives us a look at the security of some unusual objects: border control at Corellia, the conveyex railway on the Vandor-1, and the privately owned Kessel ore-mining complex.

Solo: A cybersecurity story

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” from a cybersecurity point of view

Want to find more films? You can read other cybersecurity-themed reviews of movies and TV series here. Or if you prefer books over movies, find out how things are with cybersecurity in fairy tales around the globe.