10 Movies Every Hacker Should Watch

10 Movies Every Hacker Should Watch

1. Gamer

Gamer is a great movie about a future where prisoners are computer-linked to the consoled of rich game players.  The movie is full of violence, and it’s a little far-fetched, but the final scenes depict some remarkable power and hacking.

2. Firewall

When the head of security’s family is taken hostage, he is commanded to steal from the large bank he works for to ensure their safety.  He then faces the demanding task of thwarting the kidnapper’s grand scheme, which makes him look guilty of embezzlement.


3.Pirates Of Silicon Valley

Pirates of Silicon Valley is a semi-humorous documentary about the men who made the world of technology what it is today, their struggles during college, the founding of their companies, and the ingenious actions they took to build up the global corporate empires of Apple Computer Corporation and Microsoft Inc.  You’ve heard of both of those companies, so watch a (somewhat flawed) story on their founding

4.Office Space

Hacking may not be the first thing you think of when you hear the movie Office Space, but hacking is actually a key part of the film.  In between hating their job, employees embezzle fraction of cents by planting a virus in the company’s accounting system.  A classic comedy and a must see if you haven’t already.

5. The Matrix

The Matrix is about a man who is your average programmer by day, but at night he becomes a malevolent hacker.  He learns from mysterious underground hackers about the real nature of his existence and his main role in the war against the controllers of it.

6.The Net

In The Net, a software engineer decides to take her first vacation in several years.  When she’s leaving, she becomes embroiled in a web of computer espionage.  A little cliche now, but still a good one to watch if you’re a Sandra Bullock fan.

7.Hackers

In Hackers, a young boy is arrested for writing a computer virus and is banned from using a computer until his 18th birthday. Years later, he and his friends discover a plot to unleash a dangerous computer virus, but they must use their computer skills to find the evidence while being pursued by the Secret Service and the evil computer genius behind the virus.  Not too much of a thriller, but still worth watching to say you’ve seen it.

8.Sneakers

In Sneakers, a group of security analysts are offered a job by the CIA and when they are reluctant, pressure is brought to bear by the threat to disclose the identity of their leader.  A chip exists that will allow any computer to be cracked, and organized crime will soon control it, though sudden changes in their police records suggest that it is already in use.  The film is a bit dated nowadays, but still worth the time to watch.

9.Real Genius

A young teen is accepted to a university known for its programs for geniuses and paired with his roommate on a project to develop a high-powered laser.  After they have some fun, their teacher steals their final, functional laser for a military weapon.  When this happens, they decide to get even.

10. War Games

WarGames is a movie about a young computer whiz kid who accidentally connects into a top secret super-computer which has complete control over the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It challenges him to a game between America and Russia, and he innocently starts the countdown to World War 3.  An original hacker film and one that invented hacker terminology still in use today.