This episode from PBS's award-winning NOVA series explores the rise of computer hacking while also profiling the scientists and mathematicians on the frontlines in the effort to keep data safe. The opening establishes a sober tone as it recounts the experience of a writer for Wired magazine who lost most of his digital life when a group of teenage hackers broke into his Amazon account and then followed up with a chain of other invasions, moving from Amazon to Apple to Google to Twitter. Of course, the specific holes exploited in this case have been closed—a benefit of hacking is that the safety of computer systems tends to increase—but the ongoing battle is a game of digital whack-a-mole. As personally devastating as such intrusions can be, it's even worse when nations get into the game (this documentary was made before the Sony debacle and the high-profile brouhaha surrounding North Korea's protest over the movie The Interview), where there is a potential for compromising computer-controlled machines that run such things as a country's nuclear program. In addition to sounding the alarms, director Kate Dart covers the “good guys”—those who are working in the field called “ultra-paranoid computing” to develop unbreakable codes and other defenses against cybercriminals. Viewers learn about key elements of online security (such as how prime numbers are used for the encryption techniques we take for granted every time we shop online) and developments that promise big changes, not just through advanced data technology, but also using physics and photons. Eye-opening and scary, but also ultimately somewhat reassuring, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Block)
Rise of the Hackers
(2013) 60 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.99 w/PPR). PBS Video. SDH captioned. ISBN: 978-1-62789-126-4. Volume 30, Issue 2
Rise of the Hackers
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