There are a zillion near-future scifi flicks that have hackers in them doing highly technical things like "hacking the planet" or "bringing down the whole system." When filmmakers don't want to sound like total idiots, however, they call a real hacker to consult — a hacker like Fyodor, whose real-life software tool "nmap" was used by uber-hacker Trinity in The Matrix and shows up in a Bourne Identity cameo. Fyodor also consulted on the hacking scenes in Live Free or Die Hard (he's not convinced his input made the movie any more realistic). Though he thinks The Matrix is the best scifi hacking movie out there, Fyodor has a surprising pick for "good geek porn" in a hacker movie.
He says futuristic thriller and cheesefest Antitrust makes him smile:
Antitrust may not be realistic, but is good geek porn because what geek doesn't want to be flattered with the idea that Microsoft and other giant corps all respect your mad skills so much that they'll send out beautiful women (and, unfortunately, assassins) to try to pick your brain. Even Bill Gates was begging that guy to work for him, but he was chillin in his garage doing his own thing. It is a pretty terrible movie, but I did find it somewhat entertaining.
Fyodor, whose hacker pseudonym comes from Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground, helped io9 get its name too. He was the proud owner of io9.com before we got root on his box and stole it away. Thanks, Fyodor!