As we mop up all of the tears Tyrell Wellick left on the floor during the season two finale, and ponder Angela’s allegiances, the reality is sinking in that Mr. Robot season 2 has come to an end. Dang it, where’s that mop again (sniff, sniff). While we’ll have to wait until next year to find out what Whiterose truly wants, we’re not letting the hibernation of TV’s best techno-thriller keep us from seriously geeking out over cyber content. And neither should you.
To help, we’ve compiled a list of hacking and InfoSec related movies, books, and people to follow on Twitter. So, when you reach the point that you can’t handle another day without fresh hacker content, check out these great resources.
[Check out Mr. Robot Rewind on GeekWire for all the hidden Season 2 Easter Eggs.]
Movies to Watch:
- WarGames (1983): A young man hacks into the US military’s supercomputer and inadvertently starts what could be World War III. The hacking elements are realistic for the time period; the plot, not so much.
- Hackers (1995): A young boy is arrested by the U.S. Secret Service for writing a computer virus and is banned from using a computer until his 18th birthday. While it portrayed the hacks and technology unrealistically to say the least, this was the first film to tackle hacking as a central premise; therefore, we approve.
- The Matrix (1999): Computer hacker Neo encounters mysterious rebels who uncover the true nature of reality and his role in the war against those in control. The futuristic technology is quite off, but the film does include a scene portraying an actual hacking tool: Nmap.
- The Social Network (2010): A movie that follows the origins of social media giant Facebook, while portraying its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, with slight inaccuracies. This film offers a realistic view into the technological side of coding and tech startups. While the movie didn’t touch on this, you should consider the privacy and security implications of social networks as you watch.
Books to Read:
- Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson: An absolute must-read that covers codebreaking, cryptologic and computer technology as the narrative jumps back and forth between World War II and the present.
- The Cuckoo’s Egg by Clifford Stoll: A displaced astronomer and computer genius, realizes the danger of the internet. With evidence of espionage, he exposes a web of spies that threaten national security.
- The Code Book by Simon Singh: An excellent non-fiction on the history of cryptography including code cracking.
- Hackers by Steven Levy: Exploring the exploits of the original computer hackers, who pioneered the underground computer revolution.
- No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald: The insightful story of the meeting between Glenn Greenwald and NSA contractor, Edward Snowden, and the unveiling of information on NSA’s abuse of power.
- Neuromancer by William Gibson: A sci-fi thriller that changed cyberspace forever with the compelling story of a crafty computer hacker who sells his skill to the highest bidder, until he crosses the wrong people.
Who to Follow:
- @SwiftOnSecurity: Formerly known as Securitay, will have you laughing, liking and retweeting hacking & InfoSec-related content.
- @jaysonstreet: Former social engineering hacker, who now writes books on Information Security.
- @internetofshit: A Twitter account that debunks IoT by making fun of the ridiculousness of most “innovative” smart-devices
- @dangoodin001: IT Security editor for Ars Technica, who shares the latest information about today’s hackers.
While we understand that these suggestions may not suffice for your weekly dose of suspenseful hacking, we do hope that you will find solace in the fact that we are suffering through this hiatus with you. We look forward to rewinding Mr. Robot with you next summer. Until season three…
Photo Credit: USA Networks