Hacker Movies That Blend Real Life With Entertainment

by Kevin Gardner

The movies make hacking seem more exciting than it often is in the real world; however, some movies include enough realism to give viewers some insight into the world of cybersecurity. If you're curious about hacking, check out these five films.

1. WarGames

WarGames is a classic of the genre that features a computer-savvy high school student named David, who tries to use brute-force password guessing methods, such as credential stuffing, to break into a computer game company's systems. When his attempts fail, he seeks out some professional help and learns about the existence of backdoors, which is a method of entry system designers intentionally leave in a client's system so that they can access the system after the client takes control of it. 

After gaining access through the backdoor, David starts playing a war game he finds on the system. However, what David doesn't realize is that he didn't break into a computer game company. Instead, he broke into a military computer that is now trying to win a real war against the Soviets. When the computer locks out the humans who are supposed to be in control to prevent them from calling off the war, David and his girlfriend race to seek out help from the machine's creator. Eventually, the machine learns a lesson about the futility of war that humans have yet to master.

2. Live Free or Die Hard

This entry in the Die Hard series has hero John McClane taking on cyber-terrorists. These terrorists have been attempting to trigger a fire sale of financial assets by hacking into government and commercial computers. The plot of the movie was inspired by a Wired Magazine article by John Carlin, titled A Farewell to Arms. Carlin discusses the possibility of causing major worldwide disruption by hacking into key systems. While the movie has as many fantastical elements as any other Die Hard, it also features some realistic cyber threats that security experts are constantly battling through methods such as zero trust authentication. McClane is no computer expert, but he does manage to help save the day.

3. Sneakers

The backdrop for this movie is the threat of government surveillance. The plot revolves around a band of security system professionals who are coerced into stealing a decryption device for the government. Rather than being the villains, the hackers in this movie are the heroes, using their hacking knowledge to obtain information and defend against cybercriminals. 

4. Tron

Tron is a stylish science fiction thriller that blends the world of hacking with the world of gaming. Kevin Flynn is the film's main character. After losing his job as a software engineer, he tries to hack his former employer, but is bested by the mainframe. Other hackers also make an attempt, but eventually discover that the computer has become self-aware. Flynn eventually succeeds in breaking into the company to search for evidence that it stole his ideas. However, the mainframe digitizes him and makes him part of its program. From that point, the plot of the film switches to pure science fiction and fantasy elements, but retains some of the language of computer programming as Flynn tries to battle his way out of the digital world.

5. The Matrix

The Matrix is one of the biggest science fiction blockbusters of the modern era. It centers around Neo, a hacker searching for answers who eventually discovers his entire reality is a computer generated fantasy. The rest of the film follows Neo's quest to discover the truth and free the rest of humanity from the control of the sentient machines who have taken over. The idea of humanity being subjugated by self-aware machines isn't unique, but the stylish visuals and novel approach to confronting the machines make it a worthwhile watch.

In the real world, hacking is seldom as fantastical as it is portrayed in these films. However, all of these films feature some realword aspects of hacking. They also ask interesting questions about humanity's relationship with technology and the increasing role that computers play in day-to-day life.