Security Lessons from the Movies

What the silver screen teaches us about security

February 01, 2003 — CSO — Imagine if CSOs had to deal with the security landscape as depicted by Hollywood. Corporate security systems would be riddled with easy-to-exploit holes. Sinister government techies would joyfully ruin credit ratings of innocent citizens. And most of the security guards at front desks around the world would suffer narcolepsy. OK, so Hollywood has been known to distort reality a bit from time to time. Still, movies do offer a few genuine pearls of security wisdomyou just have to know where to look. Here are some security lessons culled from the silver screen. If you don't follow these best practices, we have just one question: Do you feel lucky, punk? Well...do you?

Frankenstein, 1931Premise: Mad scientist creates monster that terrorizes Bavarian countryside.

Security lesson: Fire, bad! Firewall, good! Nnnnnhgh!King Kong, 1933Premise: Beautiful starlet returns from Skull Island with giant ape that wreaks havoc on New York City.

Security lesson: 800-pound gorillas are a significant threat to infrastructure.Citizen Kane, 1941Premise: American newspaper tycoon rises, falls.

Security lesson: There is no better password than Rosebud.James Bond movies, 1962, 1963, ad infinitumPremise: Dashing good looks, martinis and cool gadgets defeat evil.

Security lesson: Security staffing budget must include salary for Q.The Godfather, 1972Premise: Black Hats dig loyalty, honor, family, violence and ill-gotten cash.

Security lesson: Leave the virus. Take the cannoli.Star Wars, 1977Premise: Humans already had highly advanced technology a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Security lesson: Protect key intellectual property, like diagrams that show how to blow up your Death Star.WarGames, 1983Premise: Ferris Bueller saves world from Defcon 1.

Security lesson: If your computer asks to play either Tic-Tac-Toe or Global Thermonuclear War, pick option A.Independence Day, 1996Premise: Close encounter of the worst kind.

Security lesson: Even though PCs and Macs can't communicate here on Earth, your average virus-equipped laptop will easily interface with, and incinerate, enormous alien spacecraft.Ocean's 11, 2001Premise: Dashing good looks and snappy dialogue facilitate big casino heist.

Security lesson: The blueprints, schematics, systems architecture and security practices of major hotels and casinos in Las Vegas are generally available on the Web.