26 Mar Breaking The Code: The Complete List of Women Hackers in Hollywood Movies
A curated collection of films that are meant to inspire an underrepresented group in cybersecurity
– Paul John Spaulding & Amanda Glassner
Northport, N.Y. – Mar. 26, 2025
Cybercrime, if it were an economy, would be the third largest in the world after the U.S. and China.
Yet, somehow, there’s a talent shortage. 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions are open globally – a number that has remained the same since 2022.
The introduction of AI powered threats and issues with legacy systems have left businesses across the world vulnerable, and the cybersecurity industry as a whole is struggling to keep up.
So, why the talent shortage?
A gender gap is undeniable, despite the industry moving to address racial diversity in the workplace. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that women will represent 30 percent of the global cybersecurity workforce by the end of 2025, increasing to 35 percent by 2031.
Recruiting and retaining female workers continues to pose a challenge as well. We’ve published a book, a list, and a documentary highlighting women role models in cybersecurity in order to help close the gap, but perhaps we need the help of the silver screen.
If we look at years past, Hollywood is notorious for its mixed messaging for women. Some films teach young girls to “sit still and look pretty,” while others have encouraged them to transcend stereotypes, be dangerous, and speak out.
Contrast this with the small screen. Television characters such as Dana Scully from “The X-Files” and Uhara on “Star Trek,” played by Nichelle Nicols, have shown women that they can excel in male-dominated fields, slowly but surely moving the needle in STEM. The latter, in fact, helped boost NASA’s recruitment of women and minorities.
More recently, we’ve seen younger generations be inspired by Felicity Smoak, a genius with all things science and technology from “Arrow.”
But should La-La Land be doing more?
Keren Elazari, a hacker and researcher, credits Acid Burn from Hackers as her inspiration for joining the field.
“The movie Hackers (1995) is the reason I am who I am today… It was the first time I saw kids on screen who were geeking out about the same things as I was — and they were the coolest, they had this incredible fashion, music and lifestyle that I completely resonated with.”
We’re certain Elazari is not alone.
Cybercrime Magazine has assembled a complete list of hacker movies as well as video games, but now we’re here to zoom in and focus on women hackers, programmers, black hats, computer experts, cyber sleuths, intelligence leaders, and more. This list is composed of indie films, foreign flicks, and Hollywood hits.
Since pop culture is cybersecurity’s best recruiter, pass the popcorn and let’s dive in!
THE LIST
1965 — Alphaville — A secret agent goes to the futuristic city of Alphaville to find a missing person and eventually stop the ruling dictator, Professor von Braun, his sentient computer system, Alpha 60, and the programmer of the system, Natacha von Braun. “One of the most influential science fiction films that most people haven’t seen,” according to Matt Zoller Seitz in his review for Roger Ebert.
1970 — Colossus: The Forbin Project — Massive computer systems from the U.S. – “Colossus” – and Russia – “Guardian” – connect to each other. Nuclear war is threatened. Dr. Charles A. Forbin (Eric Braeden), creator of “Colossus,” and his team of scientists including Dr. Cleo Markham (Susan Clark), collaborate to defeat their own creation.
1971 — Paper Man — Four college students, including Karen McMillan (Stefanie Powers) and Lisa (Tina Chen), exploit a credit card glitch to create a fictitious identity with their university’s computer, but the prank backfires and the computer seems to turn against them.
1982 – Tron – Video game developer and computer programmer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is digitized into a mainframe computer and must compete in a series of games to escape. Lora Baines Bradley (Cindy Morgan), a fellow computer programmer, created the program ‘Yori,’ which plays a crucial role in aiding Flynn’s escape.
1983 — Brainstorm — Researchers Michael Brace (Christopher Walken) and Lillian Reynolds (Louise Fletcher) develop a system that allows the recording and playback of a person’s thoughts onto videotape. The project spins out of control when the technology is used to explore intense sexual and near-death experiences.
1985 – Prime Risk – Julie Collins, a technology expert, takes the lead on siphoning bank funds from an ATM. Along the journey, Collins and her partner discover a scheme to topple the Federal Reserve.
1987 — Terminal Entry — Picking up where War Games left off, this film tells the story of a group of high school students, including Gwen (Jill Terashita), who unknowingly hack into the network of a dangerous terrorist organization under the impression they’re simply playing a game – but the acts of terror caused by their actions are no joke.
1988 — Defense Play — After her father is mysteriously killed while working on a project for the U.S. Air Force, Karen (Susan Ursitti) joins forces with Scott (David Oliver), and together, the two computer-savvy students open their own investigation into the murder.
1992 — Single White Female — A woman (played by Bridget Fonda) advertises for a roommate. She soon discovers that her new roommate is a hacker (Jennifer Jason Leigh) intent on stealing her identity.
1992 — Sneakers — A hacker (Robert Redford) leads a team of experts who test the security of San Francisco companies. They discover a black box that can crack any encryption, posing a huge threat if it lands in the wrong hands… including rogue NSA agents. Liz Ogilvy (Mary McDonnell) assists in stealing access codes using social engineering to aid them in the heist.
1995 — Ghost in the Shell — In this animated Japanese sci-fi epic, a cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a cybercriminal called the Puppet Master, who hacks into the brains of cyborgs to get information and use it to commit crimes. Scarlett Johansson stars in a 2017 live-action remake.
1995 — Hackers — In her first major studio film, Angelina Jolie stars as computer expert Acid Burn, who joins up with a squad of hackers to digitally combat a superhacker known as The Plague. Keren Elazari, a security researcher and hacker, credits this film for who she is today.
1995 — The Net — Computer analyst Angela Bennett, played by Sandra Bullock, discovers a digital backdoor in a security system sold by a major corporation, putting a target on her back. After her digital identity is erased, Bennett must hack her way back into existence. A pseudo-sequel was released in 2006.
1995 — The Steal — In this British comedy, a lawyer (Heathcote Williams), a computer hacker (Helen Slater), and a building inspector (Alfred Molina), work together to rectify the wrongs of a prominent bank that is exploiting a third world country. When an unexpected development throws a wrench into their plans, the small team is forced to come up with a new strategy.
1999 — Entrapment — An undercover art investigator, Virginia “Gin” Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones), is intent on tracking down and capturing a renowned thief, Robert “Mac” MacDougal (Sean Connery). The two form an unlikely partnership to exploit the anticipated Y2K computer glitch using a program created by Gin to siphon funds from an international bank.
1999 — eXistenZ — In this biological horror, lead programmer Allegra Geller from Antenna Research creates a hyper-realistic virtual reality game. When realists attempt to assassinate her to stop its development, she and her publicist dive into the game to save it from corruption.
1999 — The Matrix — A blockbuster martial arts film influenced by 90s hacker culture sees humanity living in a simulated reality created by AI. A renegade group of computer programmers, including Trinity, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, uncover the truth and fight for humanity’s freedom. This franchise spawned four major films.
1999 — NetForce — This made-for-TV film based on Tom Clancy’s novel of the same name follows a division of the FBI protecting the internet from terrorism. Scott Bakula stars as Alex Michaels, the commander of NetForce, and Joanna Going plays Toni Fiorella, his deputy.
2000 — Charlie’s Angels — Originating as a 1970s TV show, the first film in the trilogy stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as private investigators, also known as “Angels,” who use a combination of martial arts, tech skills, and espionage to solve cases.
2001 — Antitrust — Released to mediocre reviews, this thriller follows the CEO of NURV, a large corporation resembling Microsoft, who surveils on and steals from programmers to curb competition. Programmers Milo Hoffman (Ryan Phillippe) and Lisa Calighan (Rachel Leigh Cook) attempt to reveal NURV’s crimes to the world.
2002 — Cypher — Morgan Sullivan (Jeremy Northam) is an accountant turned corporate spy working for a global computer corporation. When a mysterious woman, Rita Foster (Lucy Liu), suggests his job isn’t what it seems, Morgan ascends into a complicated world of brainwashing, where he struggles to maintain his true identity.
2002 — Terminal Error — By manipulating the son of a major software company’s president, a former employee and hacker seeks revenge by planting a computer virus. Marina Sirtis of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” fame stars as the mother of the main character and a former computer programmer.
2003 — Foolproof — A group of friends, bonded by their early days of hacking and planning heists they never intended to execute, find themselves being blackmailed by a ruthless criminal when their plans fall into the wrong hands. Now the trio – played by Ryan Reynolds, Kristin Booth, and Joris Jarsky – must hack and crack their way into a bank vault.
2003 — The Matrix: Reloaded — Returning to the digital dystopia for a second time, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) is convinced that Neo (Keanu Reeves) is “The One,” the prophesied savior who can permanently end the war against the machines. As the machines prepare to attack Zion, the last human city, Neo faces a heart-wrenching choice: save Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) or humanity itself.
2003 — The Matrix Revolutions — The third entry in this action franchise sees Neo (Keanu Reeves) and his companions, including Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), trying to escape from an old program inside the Matrix.
2004 — Identity Theft — Based on a true story, this made for television film sees Michelle Brown’s identity stolen by an employee of a mortgage lender. The real-life incident led to significant reforms in the United States regarding the prosecution of identity thieves.
2006 — Man of the Year — A comedian, Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams), runs for president of the United States. Due to a flaw in the voting machines discovered by Eleanor Green (Laura Linney), Dobbs wins the election.
2006 — The Net 2.0 — A spiritual successor to the original 1995 film The Net, this nominal sequel follows a young computer systems analyst as she pursues her stolen identity.
2006 — Pulse — In this remake of a Japanese horror film, a student is shocked when her boyfriend, a computer hacker, commits suicide. Then she and her friends receive online messages from him, asking for help. Another computer hacker must help her stop a supernatural plague traveling through the network.
2007 — Live Free or Die Hard — NYPD Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) returns for the fourth entry in the series, attempting to stop a group of cyber terrorists led by Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) and Mai Linh (Maggie Q).
2008 — Eagle Eye — An intelligent supercomputer known as ARIIA recruits two innocent civilians, Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan), in an attempt to wipe out the executive branch of the U.S. government. Air Force OSI Special Agent Zoe Pérez and Supervising Agent Tom Morgan uncover the AI’s plot.
2008 — Iron Man — Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a billionaire and genius tech inventor. Kidnapped by terrorists, he is forced to create a destructive weapon but instead builds an armored suit, escapes, and returns to the U.S. There, he enhances the suit and commits to fighting crime. Also starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Stark’s assistant and love interest, who must hack into his company’s database in order to obtain crucial information.
2008 — Untraceable — Agent Jennifer Marsh with the FBI’s Cybercrime Division hunts down a serial killer who live streams the killing of his victims. The more website traffic, the quicker the victims perish.
2009 — The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — Based on the novel of the same name, this Swedish language film sees journalist Mikael Blomkvist and a brilliant computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), team up in search for the killer of a woman who has been dead for forty years.
2009 — The Girl Who Played with Fire — Brilliant but troubled hacker Lisbeth Salander returns in this sequel to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Under suspicion of murder, Salander must go into hiding after an investigation into a sex-trafficking ring goes awry. Based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Stieg Larsson.
2009 — The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest — The third and final film installment sees Salander awaiting her murder trial. According to Rotten Tomatoes, this is “a disappointingly uneven conclusion to the Millennium trilogy.”
2010 — Tron: Legacy — A sequel to the 1982 cult classic sees Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) seek his missing father who has been trapped in the Grid, a digital world, for decades. Along with assistance from Quorra (Olivia Wilde), a computer program created by Sam’s Father, they must stop an evil program from entering the real world.
2011 — Thor — This American superhero film follows the mighty god, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), as he is banished from his planet Asgard and sent to Earth. There, he meets Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), a genius astrophysicist, who helps him return home. Foster’s assistant, Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), is skilled in accessing computerized information and later becomes an expert hacker.
2012 — Reboot — In this short film, a young female hacker awakens to find an iPhone glued to her hand with a timer counting down. Suffering from head trauma and amnesia, she is aided by other hackers who must help her solve the puzzle.
2012 — Skyfall — A familiar crew, including Q (Ben Whishaw), a skilled hacker dedicated to developing tools for agents to use in the field, and M (Judi Dench), head of MI6, join James Bond (Daniel Craig) in tracking the origins of a cyber-terror attack at the MI6 Headquarters.
2013 — The Bling Ring — Nicki (Emma Watson) and her fame-obsessed group of friends will do anything to make a name for themselves in Hollywood, including breaking into, and robbing, the homes of elite celebrities, which, if not for the internet, would never have been possible.
2013 – Identity Thief – After a financial firm account executive, Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), has his identity stolen and his credit ruined by con artist Diana (Melissa McCarthy), he sets out on a quest to find her. Following their confrontation, Sandy reveals a plan to restore his reputation, and Diana agrees to help.
2013 — Thor: The Dark World — When an ancient enemy returns, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) faces the daunting challenge of protecting the universe from being thrown into complete and permanent darkness. Along the way, he reunites with genius astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her computer expert assistant, Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), and others.
2014 — Algorithm — A computer hacker named Hash (Raphael Barker) targets a government contractor and discovers a mysterious computer program, thrusting him into a revolution. Hash also enlists the help of a hardware hacker, Bitchan (Paulina Nguyen).
2014 — Debug — Six young hackers, including Kaida (Jeananne Goossen), the lead programmer, are assigned to fix the computer system on a vessel drifting in deep space. They unknowingly become prey to an artificial intelligence (Jason Momoa) intent on becoming human.
2014 — Ex Machina — A young programmer named Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) wins a competition that makes him the human component in a groundbreaking experiment where he must evaluate the capabilities and consciousness of Ava (Alicia Vikander), a breathtaking A.I. Ava engages in social engineering to manipulate her way into being rescued from the compound where she is held.
2014 — The Imitation Game — MI6, the newly created British intelligence agency, recruits mathematician Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his team, including Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) a cryptanalyst and numismatist to crack the Germany’s Enigma code during World War II.
2014 — Transcendence — Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp), a specialist in AI, wants to create a sentient computer. Evelyn (Rebecca Hall), Caster’s wife and fellow scientist, devises a plot to upload his consciousness into a quantum computer.
2014 — Who Am I — A socially awkward hacker from Berlin, Benjamin Engel, is interrogated by Europol’s Cyber Division head Hanne Lindberg, in order to gain information on a notorious hacker group with ties to the Russian cyber mafia.
2015 — Blackhat — A team of American and Chinese technical experts including convicted hacker Nicholas Hathaway (Chris Hemsworth), FBI Special Agent Carol Barrett (Viola Davis), and network engineer Chen Lien (Tang Wei), team up to track down a Balkan cyberterrorist operating in Southeast Asia.
2015 — Furious 7 — Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), a government operative, enlists Dominic Toretto to find Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), a hacker who has created God’s Eye, a device that can hack any technology that uses a camera. In return, they can use the device to find and stop Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), who is seeking revenge against Toretto and his crew for his comatose brother.
2015 — Hacker’s Game — Loise (Pom Klementieff), a cyber-detective working for a human rights organization, and a hacking expert with shady connections meet on a rooftop and bond over a game of virtual chess. Will their romance survive deception?
2016 — Anonymous — This crime thriller follows Alex Danyliuk, a young Ukrainian immigrant, who turns to hacking and identity theft to support his struggling parents. After petty crimes escalate, Danyliuk, and Sye, a street-wise hustler, and his hacker friend Kira are targeted by Z, the head of Anonymous. This film was renamed Hacker after the theatrical release.
2016 — Hidden Figures — Based on real life events, three female African-American mathematicians: Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), are employed at NASA doing mathematical calculations as human “computers” during the space race. “Hidden Figures fills in an all too forgotten, or simply too widely unknown, blank in US history,” according to IGN.
2016 — Jason Bourne — Former CIA agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is drawn out of hiding to uncover more about his past while fighting cyberterrorism. Heather Lee, the head of the Cyber Operations Division of the CIA, is in pursuit.
2017 — The Fate of the Furious — A cyberterrorist known as Cipher (Charlize Theron) coerces Dom (Vin Diesel) into working for her. She hacks into and takes control of cars, wreaking havoc.
2017 — Ghost in the Shell — Major (Scarlett Johansson) is saved from a terrible crash and cyber-enhanced as a soldier to stop the world’s most dangerous criminals. She soon discovers that her life was actually stolen and is determined to uncover her past, find out who did this to her, and stop them before they do it to others.
2017 — Hacker — Laura O’Brien (Haylie Duff), a hacker who also deals with national security, uncovers the assassination of a congressman.
2018 — Anon — In a world where everyone’s lives are transparent, traceable, and recorded by the authorities, causing crime to almost cease, a detective (Clive Owen) tries to solve a series of murders that may involve a mysterious hacker (Amanda Seyfried).
2018 — Avengers: Infinity War — When the fate of all life in the universe is threatened, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy team up on an epic quest ten years in the making. Characters such as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Shuri (Letita Wright), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Vision (Paul Bettany) all showcase expert-level knowledge of computer programming and technology.
2018 — Black Panther — This action film follows T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) as he is crowned the king of Wakanda in the wake of his father’s untimely passing. Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s sister, is a master scientist with expert knowledge of computer programming, engineering, and technology.
2018 — The Girl in the Spider’s Web — Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (who is also an avenging angel for abused women) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals, and corrupt government officials.
2018 — Ocean’s 8 — On a mission to pull off an impossible heist at New York’s renowned Met Gala, hacker 9Ball (Rihanna) launches a spear-phishing campaign against an employee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gaining access to the museum’s security camera system and giving her all-female crew the insight they need to successfully steal one of the most valuable jewelry pieces in the world.
2019 — Avengers: Endgame — In the aftermath of a devastating loss, the surviving members of the Avengers and their fellow supporters cross time and space on a monumental journey to overcome the impossible. In one key scene, Nebula (Karen Gillan) uses her cybernetic abilities to hack into the team’s time traveling system and alter the course of fate.
2019 — Password — A police officer (Dev) teams up with an ethical hacker (Rukmini Maitra) to hunt down a cybercriminal who is destroying people’s lives by hacking their passwords.
2020 — American Thief — Directed by Miguel Silveira, this film follows a teenage hacker on a quest to get justice for his father’s murder, a young activist, a conspiracy vlogger, and Josephina, an artificial intelligence programmer. This unlikely group becomes involved in a plot to disrupt the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
2021 — Black Widow — Starring Scarlett Johansson as the titular character, this American superhero film follows Natasha Romanoff as she explores elements of her past related to a dangerous conspiracy that could threaten her present life. Romanoff and sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), both showcase hacking and advanced computer skills that are central to the plot.
2021 — Free Guy — Ryan Reynolds stars as Guy, a bank teller who learns that he is a non-player character (NPC) in an open-world online video game. When he is approached by player Millie (Jodie Comer), an unemployed software designer, the two join forces to gather evidence that the game company stole her source code.
2021 — The Matrix Resurrections — The fourth installment in The Matrix franchise, this film sees Neo, portrayed by Keanu Reeves, journey once again to find out whether his reality is a physical or mental construct. Also starring Carrie-Ann Moss, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
2022 — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Following the death of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the nation of Wakanda picks up their broken pieces and, under the guidance of Shrui (Letita Wright), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), and others, attempts to move forward.
2022 — Keedam — Radhika Balan (Rajisha Vijayan) is a cybersecurity expert who believes in using technology to benefit others, but after falling victim to a cyberstalking incident and losing any semblance of privacy, she’s left with no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
2022 — Kimi — Starring Zoe Kravitz and Rita Wilson, this thriller chronicles the events that take place after an agoraphobic tech worker discovers evidence of a violent crime, which ultimately leads to her greatest challenge yet: leaving the house.
2022 — The Takeover — Ethical hacker Mel Bandison (Holly Mae Brood) finds herself in over her head when she thwarts a cyberattack on a high-tech driverless bus, which in turn, brings down a global criminal network. As a result, she is framed for murder and must go to great lengths to prove her innocence.
2023 — @ — A techno-thriller starring Rachel David as an ethical hacker, this film revolves around the dark web and the horrors that lurk within it. Audiences will become acquainted with the many crimes that take place, such as drug peddling, and the cyberattacks that come to fruition in the deep net.
2023 — Fast X — The 10th installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, this film introduces an exciting new character named Bowie, played by comedian Pete Davidson, who is a hacker that comes into contact with the Toretto crew when they attempt to enlist his services. As the plot unfolds, tensions rise, and Bowie’s allegiance is tested. Also, Charlize Theron reprises her role from the 2017 entry as the cyberterrorist, Cipher.
2023 — Heart of Stone — This spy action thriller follows Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot) an international covert agent on a mission to safeguard “The Heart,” a powerful artificial intelligence system from falling into the hands of Parker (Jamie Dornan) and Keya Dhawan (Alia Bhatt), a mysterious hacker.
2023 — M3GAN — Robotics engineer Gemma becomes the guardian of her orphaned niece, Cady. She creates an artificially intelligent doll, M3GAN, who is designed to befriend children and support parents. However, it’s only a matter of time until M3GAN becomes sentient and takes on a life of her own, leaving those around her to reap the extraordinary consequences.
2023 — Missing — Starring Storm Reid and Nia Long, this techno-thriller chronicles a young girl’s search for answers after her mother vanishes while on vacation in Columbia. Faced with obstacles from international laws and regulations, she turns to the online world by cracking passwords searching for clues within the seemingly endless realms of cyberspace.
Is there a movie you know about, and we should too? Tell us what we’re missing.
Insights On Women Hackers In Cinema By Amanda Glassner, Deputy Editor, Cybercrime Magazine
Looking at this list, I’m inspired. I’m curious. I’m excited. As a woman in cyber, seeing female hackers represented in Hollywood evokes a lot of feelings, many of which are positive, but there is one I can’t ignore. I’m also confused.
There are just 88 movies.
Compare this to Cybercrime Magazine’s Complete List of Hacker And Cybersecurity Movies, which features over 350 movies. Alarmingly, this list of leading ladies represents just about 25 percent. That is strikingly close to an accurate representation of today’s workforce.
Moreover, compare this to women in other roles depicted on the big – and small – screens. From nurses and doctors to lawyers, editors, and police officers, there is no shortage of strong, career-driven women in mainstream media.
Yet, in this subset, there is. I guess life really does imitate art.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
This is a question most kids are asked, and asking themselves, from an early age. And while many are inspired by friends or family members, there are a lot who are also influenced by who we see on screen. I was one of the latter.
At first, I wanted to be a princess, directly stemming from the grace and beauty showcased by Disney’s Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel.
In middle school, I stumbled on the television series, “Bones,” and decided I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist, sparked by Emily Deschanel’s portrayal of the show’s titular character.
Only later, when I finally watched Little Women, did I realize that I wanted to, and could be, a writer.
Kids today certainly have a more diverse landscape of representation in media, but when it comes to cyber, it remains limited, and the characters that are there, unfortunately, don’t always shine a positive light.
Some are ditzy. Some are delinquent teenagers. Some are simply the ‘ex-girlfriend.’ Others, we’re told, are ‘brilliant,’ but ultimately exploited on screen.
That’s not to say there aren’t any truly strong, powerful women on this list. 1999’s The Matrix introduced audiences to Trinity, played by Carrie-Anne Moss, who – across the franchise’s four films – establishes herself as a hero, showcasing not just expert hacking skills, but loyalty, bravery, and a steadfast allegiance to her team.
Shuri, portrayed by Letita Wright in the 2018’s Black Panther, is a more recent example. In a world of literal superheros, the sister of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) holds her own as a master scientist with the ability to manipulate, hack, and program complex technological systems.
Not all of these women are fictional, either. The Imitation Game, which released to critical acclaim in 2014, stars Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke, the cryptanalyst and numismatist who played a key role alongside mathematician Alan Turing in cracking Germany’s Enigma code during World War II. This, historians say, shortened the war by at least two years, and saved millions of lives.
Hidden Figures tells the true story of three female African-American mathematicians: Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), who worked as “human computers” at NASA between the 1940s and 1960s, performing hand calculations for the agency’s orbital trajectories. Their work was vital to the Space Race and contributed greatly to the success of John Glenn’s groundbreaking Mercury-Atlas 6 mission.
So, when it comes to the representation of women in cybersecurity in the media, what’s more important: quality or quantity? It’s hard to say. Many would think the former – this list, in fact, makes a strong argument in its favor – but we shouldn’t disregard the value the latter holds.
What is undeniable, however, is that Hollywood could strike a better balance.
– Paul John Spaulding is the GM, Production at Cybercrime Magazine.
– Amanda Glassner is the Deputy Editor at Cybercrime Magazine.