Security is no fiction: Infosec on TV, film—and in space

I predate the modern tech age by just enough that the first time I saw a computer password was on-screen: In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Admiral Kirk staves off disaster by using a five-digit numeric code to hack into the stolen USS Reliant’s computer, ordering it to lower its shields. The idea that a powerful warship’s central control computer could be accessed with just a five-number password seems laughable today—though not as laughable as the USS Enterprise’s self-destruct password being “000-destruct-0,” as we saw in the next film.

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