I recently watched A House of Dynamite, and while most viewers might have seen it as just another thriller, I couldn’t help but draw parallels to the world I live in — cybersecurity.
The story, built around tension, timing, and communication in chaos, resonated with the core principles of Incident Response, Forensics, and SOC Modernization.
Every scene felt like an echo of what happens inside a Security Operations Center during a real cyber incident — the calm before a storm, the urgency of response, and the discipline required to rebuild.
1. The Calm Before the Explosion – The Value of Preparedness
There’s always that uneasy stillness before an explosion in the movie — that’s where decisions define destiny.
In cybersecurity, this is our pre-incident phase.
Over my years leading investigations and SOC transformations, I’ve realized that preparedness is not about the tools you have, but how well your people know what to do before chaos begins.
A mature SOC doesn’t just react — it anticipates. Every policy, playbook, and escalation path must be tested like a mission-critical rehearsal.
Crisis doesn’t wait for office hours or hierarchy approvals. It respects only readiness.
2. Every Character is a Node – Communication Defines Survival
In A House of Dynamite, chaos accelerates when communication collapses.
In the cybersecurity world, it’s the same — a single missed update or misunderstood escalation can multiply damage.
From my own experience handling live breaches, I’ve learned that alerts may come from machines, but direction must come from people.
A modern SOC thrives on real-time clarity. It’s about having one voice, one rhythm, even under immense pressure.
True communication in an incident isn’t about who speaks loudest — it’s about who listens fastest.
3. Traces in the Rubble – The Art of Forensics
Once the dust settles, comes the search for truth.
In the movie, every crack in the wall or fragment on the floor tells a story.
In cybersecurity, forensics is that same disciplined storytelling — revealing not only what happened, but why it happened.
In my investigations, I’ve learned that precision and patience are key.
You don’t chase noise; you reconstruct the narrative from digital ashes — one log, one packet, one clue at a time.
It’s not just science; it’s instinct sharpened by experience.
4. Modernizing the House – SOC as a Living Entity
The “house” in the movie, though strong, wasn’t built for modern threats.
Many SOCs I’ve seen are the same — fortified but rigid, running on outdated frameworks.
Modernizing a SOC isn’t just about deploying AI or automation.
It’s about making it adaptive, collaborative, and intelligent — blending machine speed with human judgement.
AI and agentic systems must amplify analysts, not replace them.
A truly modern SOC is like a living organism — sensing anomalies, isolating threats, and healing itself in real time.
5. Leadership Amid Fire – Responsibility, Not Reaction
There’s a powerful moment in the film where leadership is tested not by control, but by composure.
In cybersecurity, I’ve learnt that the calmness of the leader often defines the confidence of the team.
The best incident response I’ve seen wasn’t about perfection; it was about presence — staying factual, transparent, and unshaken.
Sometimes, reassurance is as critical as resolution.
Final Thought
A House of Dynamite isn’t just about explosions — it’s about rebuilding.
In our digital world, every SOC faces explosions daily – ransomware, insider threats, AI-driven attacks -but survival lies in how fast we communicate, coordinate, and modernize.
Our security operations centers aren’t command rooms anymore — they’re evolving ecosystems where human intuition meets machine precision.
