Cybergeddon preview screened, explores cyber risks

Cybersecurity, or the lack of it is of huge concern today, and concerns persist for “In a world where everyone is connected…Everyone is at risk”. Armed with that thought, we attended the preview screening of Cybergeddon - An Anthony Zuiker movie yesterday. Zuiker, with Norton Symantec has attempted to uncap the risks that we are all exposed to, as we traverse in the digital world.  

From a white hat hacker-turned-cop who gets framed, to an ageing author who loses his identity, to a villain trying to bring the shutters down on the digital world, Cybergeddon explores the different facets of the inadequacy of data protection, and how the lack of data security is a disaster waiting to happen.

It has to stop before it is too late

In the latest edition of a cybercrime report recently released by Norton, it found that more than 42 million Indians were hit by cyber crime in the past 12 months, with a total of $8 billion recorded in direct financial losses. Such steep losses and high numbers only reveal that crime in the digital world is almost as expansive as the digital world itself.

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22 percent of social network users reported someone had hacked into their profile and pretended to be them, while 15 percent of social network users said they had fallen victim to a scam or fake link on social network platforms. Although 83 percent believe that cyber criminals are setting their sights on social networks, only around half (57 percent) actually use a security solution that protects them from social network threats. Only 44 percent use privacy settings to control the information they share, and the audience they share it with.  

Instances shown in the movie depict how we tend to get callous with our information, and how that works well in the favour of a hacker. Phishing, malware, virus attacks, spams - the list is endless, and among other things users need caution when on a digital platform. In fact, the Norton report mentioned that there has been an increase in “new” forms of cyber crime compared to the past year, such as social network hacking or cyber crime targeted at mobile devices – a sign that cyber criminals are starting to focus their efforts on these platforms that are becoming increasingly popular.

The study, which is aimed at understanding how cyber crime affects consumers, and how the adoption and evolution of new technologies impacts people’s security, has found that the direct costs associated with global consumer cyber crime over the past twelve months stands at an astounding $110 billion.

Speaking about Cybergeddon, Executive Producer Anthony Zuiker adds, “Cybergeddon is a cinematic experience that breaks traditional rules. With the global distribution arm of Yahoo!, we will give viewers a way to have more to do after watching the segments to gain more knowledge and further interact with the storyline and cast”.

Watch a quick trailer of the movie, here. The movie premieres on September 25.