Raising Awareness of Cyber Threats – With Some Help From Hollywood

SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS — While top cybersecurity officials sound the alarm over intrusions by Russia, China and individual hackers into U.S. critical infrastructure, they’ve noticed another problem: It’s hard to get ordinary Americans to pay attention. With so many other things to worry about in terms of global news and information (not to mention disinformation), it’s an understandable concern. And when it comes to cybersecurity, getting the public to listen isn’t just a public service; it’s a necessity. That’s because a citizenry that ignores this particular problem will make fighting it that much harder. 

With this in mind, a recent summit of the Cyber Initiatives Group (CIG) featured a session with a top U.S. cybersecurity expert and a Hollywood producer with a CIA background that explored a basic question: could the creative minds behind popular films and series help cybersecurity professionals get their message across? And might they do it in a way that would get more Americans to be smarter about their own technical devices?