Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan demonstrating the very best and worst of cybersecurity in the 23rd Century
For those new to the Sci-Fi game, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 science fiction film based on the 1966-69 television series Star Trek. In the film, Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise face off against a genetically engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh for control of the Genesis Device (a technology designed to reorganize dead matter into a habitable environment).
It is widely considered the best Star Trek film due to Khan's capabilities exceeding the Enterprise's crew and its narrative of no-win scenarios. To celebrate the 41st anniversary of its release, this blog looks at The Wrath of Khan through a cybersecurity lens.
Khan's Wrath
In the opening scene, Kirk oversees a simulator session of Captain Spock's trainees. The simulation, called the Kobayashi Maru, is a no-win scenario designed to test the character of Starfleet officers. Like in cybersecurity, a no-win scenario is a situation every commander may face. This is as true today as it was in the '80s; however, you can certainly even the odds today.
Having a clear cybersecurity mission and vision provides more precise outcomes; however, like Spock was so keen to highlight, we learn by doing, as the journey is a test of character, and maybe that was the lesson of the simulation.
We then learn how Khan seeks to escape from a 15-year exile on an uninhabitable planet and exact revenge on Kirk. Khan is genetically engineered, and his physical strength and intelligence are abnormal. As a result, he is prone to having grand visions and likely has a superiority complex. Unsurprisingly, ..
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