This cerebral documentary, at about 54 minutes in length, was originally shown as part of the acclaimed Nova series on PBS television. It focuses on the never ending battle between those individuals, groups, corporations, and governments who are looking to protect their assets and information online, and those who want to infiltrate and steal what they can (the hackers).
Although the material presented here can be quite intricate and technical, the filmmakers try and relay it to the viewer in the most understandable fashion. I was able to comprehend and learn how encryption, or the protection of data, works using prime and subprime numbers. Already, there's progress in quantum mechanics though which may be able to decrypt even the most complicated of protective walls, which is quite scary.
Hacking can also take the form of malware infecting other computers and machines and literally taking control over them. This was the case with the virus Stuxnet, as it was uncovered after infecting Iran's nuclear subterfuges, and believed to be launched by the United States or Israel. However, it's now a virus that has gone wild and infected some 100,000 computers around the world, according to the movie.
All in all, this documentary, directed by Kate Dart, is a rather unnerving look at the attempts of people and institutions to stay one step ahead of the hackers, and this battle is only getting more furious and complex as each day passes.