McAfee launched an interesting campaign today by posting the first episode in a film series, entitled "H*Commerce: The Business of Hacking You." The security company tapped Seth Gordon, known for the film "Four Christmases," to create the series, which is designed to expose the techniques of international cybercriminals and how they affect people closer to home.
McAfee Taps H-wood, The Woz, For Cybercrime Film Series
"H*Commerce" stands for "hacker commerce."
The company plans to air six five-to-eight-minute episodes over a period of twelve weeks. Taking a narrative, documentary approach, Gordon features cybercrime victim Janella Spears, who lost over $440,000 to one of the largest and most elaborate email scams on record.
"Hacking has evolved into a lucrative, international criminal activity that ensnares people because these criminals are very clever at manipulating victims," said Jeff Green, senior vice president for McAfee Avert Labs. "Viewers can put themselves in Ms. Spears' shoes, and understand the magnitude of the threat, and the vulnerabilities we all share online."
Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak makes an appearance as well to talk about his phone phreaking days, as does Chris Roberts, a cyber forensics expert who cases a Colorado neighborhood to show how cybercrooks can hack unsecured wireless networks.
"In the last two years alone, Americans lost a total of almost $8.5 billion due to Internet scams and crimes," said David Milam, chief marketing officer for McAfee. "We produced the Web-based film to make cybercrime real for people, and to help consumers understand why they need to take precautions."
Posted at the company's StopHCommerce website, the films are high quality, filmed in HD, and have a distinctive Hollywood feel, so this was definitely not a cheap production. In addition to the narratives and expert interviews, the series also focuses on online safety education and safe shopping.
Here's a two-minute preview:
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