Hollywood likes to give us pretty faces, out of control characters, and charismatic leaders and individuals that are able to hold our attention and spew a bunch of jargon at us that will make the uninitiated think that hacking is, for the most part, a different culture that only takes the brightest and most crafty of minds. The truth is that hacking isn’t as mysterious or as zen as people want to think. The ‘kung fu’ aspect of hacking is a very personal thing that a lot of actual hackers might laugh at since it’s more than a little ridiculous and is about as real as Milli Vanilli’s singing career. But the thing about Hollywood is that they know how to make things look good, and the best actors are able to memorize a line here and there to make it sound as though they know what they’re talking about when in truth a lot of them have assistants to do the computer work for them and might be able to open a game or a couple of programs. In all fairness, some actors might be able to hang with real hackers, but chances are that unless it’s for a movie or show, you won’t hear them boasting that much about it.
Here are a few things that Hollywood gets wrong about computer hacking.
5. There are a bunch of cool displays and graphics to see. Yeah, no.
The graphics and displays that are seen in the movies would be like advertising that could easily give the hackers away, or make it easier to trick and trap them since to the lower-level hackers that don’t know any better it would be the perfect honeypot, while other hackers that know better would keep their distance. Most of what hackers are getting is plain text and code, and as important as all that can still be, in the movies it would be seriously boring to see long lists of code and what might amount to a user’s manual that’s been downloaded for users to access. Yeah, it’s not exactly something that Hollywood would prefer.
4. Hackers are like cyber-ninjas that can sneak into any system. Some might be this good, but the average hacker still has to work for it.
Many systems are built in a very simple manner and rely heavily on software that prevents any unwanted intrusions, usually by viruses that can wreak havoc before being isolated and removed. But the idea is that hacking is something that is almost like a stealth mission as hackers try to drop behind firewalls, slip in through lines of code, and fool the networks they’re after with carefully hidden techniques that bring to mind dark hoods and pajamas. But the reality of this is that they still have to work pretty hard to get into most systems and with a lot of them it’s kind of a wait-and-see kind of deal.
3. There is such a thing as hacking for good reasons. Nope, it’s all against the rules, but it’s a movement that people are following.
Remember The Core? Rat would still be brought up on charges by the end of the movie no doubt since he did reroute a great deal of power from Project DESTINI to give those in the core the time they needed. Plus, this level of hacking would be considered godhood to those that actually do their best to infiltrated various systems, since the speed and the skill that his ‘kung fu’ showed was the type that only Hollywood can bestow upon a person. This wasn’t real hacking by the standards of many people, largely because with all the eyes he had on him, it wouldn’t matter how quick or how good Rat was, he would have been caught.
2. Real hackers are elite and can navigate a system faster than anyone else. That’s pretty laughable since, with enough time and training, anyone can hack.
Hacking does take time and this is part of why it’s such a risk since the likelihood of being discovered is still higher than most people think. The unholy speed that hackers in the movies are able to display makes it appear that they can think as easily as people breathe, meaning that their every thought is a moment of genius just waiting to happen. This is pretty funny since a lot of hackers aren’t any more intelligent than the average high school computer teacher, with the only difference being that they’ve likely been practicing how to circumvent the same systems a teacher will instruct others on how to use.
1. Once a hacker finds a way into a system they can take everything and disappear. Wrong again, there are entire security teams out there that are taught to think like hackers.
It’s true that hackers can attack an unguarded system and make off with a great deal of information. But they tend to leave a trace, and those that are trained to think like them are bound to find something that will lead right to them. Think of this as digital breadcrumbs that few, if any, can possibly avoid. Plus, those that are actively trying to hide their footsteps usually have a reason and are bound to be in big trouble when they’re finally discovered.
I don’t dislike hackers, but Hollywood’s love affair with them is kind of comical.
Follow Us
