Why You Should Watch “Zero Day,” the New Netflix Series Starring De Niro

" Zero Day " is a six-episode thriller miniseries, produced by Netflix , that explores the aftermath of a catastrophic cyberattack against the United States.

The plot and main themes

The story revolves around former President George Mullen, played by Robert De Niro , who is called out of retirement to lead a controversial commission of inquiry into the attack, which has been given extraordinary powers to find those responsible for the attack.

As Mullen delves deeper into the investigation, he finds himself confronted with a complex web of conspiracies, personal dilemmas, and challenges to his own sanity. The series explores themes of truth, misinformation, and the intricate dynamics of political power.

What is meant by "zero day"

But one of the most interesting aspects is certainly the one concerning cybersecurity: a "zero day" attack occurs when malware is injected or exploits a flaw in a software at a time when the latter is completely defenseless.

A patch to fix the vulnerability may be available the next day, requiring a new “zero day” attack to circumvent it.

In this sense, the term "zero day" indicates a constant race between hackers and developers, where every day they start from scratch in the search for new flaws to exploit or fix.

The threats depicted in “ Zero Day ,” such as a large-scale cyber attack that compromises national infrastructure, are based on theoretical scenarios that are difficult to implement in reality.

To make the miniseries as credible as possible from the point of view of the cyber threat, the authors enlisted the help of cybersecurity expert Clint Watts , a former FBI special agent who testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Is a nationwide cyberattack possible?

While acknowledging the possibility of a large-scale cyberattack, Watts argues that an event like the one depicted in "Zero Day" is "unlikely" due to several factors: most notably the level of human coordination required to carry out such a threat.

"I think the key element is the human dimension of the cyberattack," Watts explained to Netflix. "It's not just a code error, but an operation orchestrated by a group of highly organized people to generate a devastating effect. It's not just a collection of machines that execute the attack, but a collective of individuals who use technology to achieve a precise objective. For this reason, a scenario like this is extremely difficult to realize in reality."

The CrowdStrike Lesson

On July 19, 2024, a major cyber incident highlighted the fragility of our interconnected world and the critical dependence of businesses and governments on cloud software and services.

That day, a faulty update to the CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor cybersecurity software caused millions of Windows computers and servers globally to crash.

This event was not the result of a hacker attack, but rather an internal error in the update development and distribution process.

The incident caused significant disruptions in key industries such as transportation, healthcare and financial services, demonstrating how a single malfunction can have global repercussions in a technology-driven era.

Could America Respond to a Catastrophe?

Zero Day is not just a series about hackers and cybersecurity. The six episodes also deal with the political intrigue that can follow a catastrophe of national proportions.

“This is a story about what would happen to America if there were another 9/11-level attack,” one of the series’ writers, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt , told Netflix. “If there was something seriously catastrophic, how would the country respond?”

The idea for “Zero Day” came to Schmidt in 2012, when he flew to Washington for a story and heard from senior national security officials that potential cyberattacks were a constant concern. “I took it for granted that it was a problem, but the reality was there was never a way to show what it really meant,” Schmidt said.

Another Netflix Production Not to Be Missed About Cyber ​​Attacks

Netflix has shown a growing interest lately in narratives centered on cyber attacks and their large-scale consequences.

Another notable title is " The World Behind You ", a psychological thriller based on the novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam.

The film, directed by Sam Esmail and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama , tells the story of a family who retreats to a luxurious vacation home, when a sudden and mysterious technological crisis interrupts communications and creates chaos.

As panic grows and society crumbles, the protagonists must confront fear, paranoia and growing uncertainty about who their real enemies are.