Rise of the Hackers

Gr 9 Up—Most everyone is familiar with the feeling of dread when informed of a breach in the online security world, a violation that may mean personal information has been stolen. That kind of transgression may seem like small potatoes after watching this documentary about online data, cryptography, particle physics, and ultra-paranoid computing. The program looks at Stuxnet, a computer virus that attacked Iran's uranium enrichment program in 2010 and that is now "out in the wild," perhaps waiting to wreak havoc on other countries. The program also touches on cryptography and on how much of our online life is protected through encryption keys based on prime numbers so enormous that it would take computers millions of years to figure them out. But then the focus turns to quantum computing: scientists working with unbelievably fast, super-cool computers that can crack encrypted keys almost instantly. Finally, the show explores research into storing passwords in people's unconscious minds, tying them into muscle memory. If your body knows the password, but your conscious brain does not, theoretically this makes it impossible for hackers to figure out. The interviews with the scientists and cryptographers are informative, but images of numbers scrolling across computer screens, glass shattering, and shady-looking people typing code furiously are shown so repeatedly it becomes a bit distracting. NOVA always produces high-quality programs, but this is a topic which changes daily. If there is interest in this subject, best buy this DVD immediately, before the information about cryptography and computers goes out of date.—Geri Diorio, Ridgefield Library, CT