This article uses analogies from the TV show Stranger Things to explain modern cybersecurity threats and defenses. It compares the show's "hive mind" to botnets and APTs that compromise vulnerable assets like IoT devices. The piece also discusses how telemetry data and AI analysis can provide early warnings and detect threats, similar to tracking villains in the show. Additionally, it covers lateral movement through networks and the dual-use nature of AI for both enabling cyberattacks and powering cybersecurity defenses.
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Stranger Things Meets Cybersecurity: Lessons from the Hive Mind
Events and concepts from the Stranger Things television series illustrate how enterprises can defend their networks and stay "right side up."
COMMENTARY
Now playing in an enterprise network near you: The threat of ransomware, state-sponsored cyberwarfare, and AI-enabled cyberattacks! The risks associated with connected assets have turned cybersecurity "upside down", just like the Netflix show Stranger Things.
You may not be able to watch Netflix in your security operations center, but these examples from the show are worth sharing because sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.
Tracking the "Hive Mind" with Telemetry Data
One of the main tropes of season five is the hive mind, the idea that the big bad villain is actually a puppet master, kidnapping its victims and taking control of them. The concept of the hive mind reminds me of how vulnerable assets can be compromised by botnets and advanced persistent threats (APTs).
IoT devices, such as IP video cameras, are left exposed due to default credentials that may be compromised in botnet attacks. APTs, including Salt Typhoon, have been targeting unpatched vulnerabilities in networking devices, including firewalls and routers. These are known risks, but they persist because cybersecurity teams may not be aware they exist on their networks.
Early in the final season, it is revealed that one of the main characters, Will, can tap into the hive mind. This calls to mind the early warning insights that cybersecurity researchers can obtain through various approaches, such as identifying specific targets of imminent ransomware attacks.
Likewise, Will and his friends are able to identify one of the next children that the villain plans to capture. Channeling Kevin McCallister from Home Alone, they set a series of elaborate traps that leave the demogorgon bloodied, bruised, and tagged with a telemetry tracker.
The good news is that cybersecurity teams can now obtain these insights much more easily. Network traffic, system and application logs, and user behavior are all examples of telemetry data for cybersecurity. Most of this data can be collected automatically and analyzed by AI or machine learning algorithms to detect suspicious activity, stopping threat actors in their tracks.
Tunnel Vision Creates Blind Spots
In the show, a series of underground tunnels spread through the fictional town of Hawkins, connecting the "Upside Down" to the physical world.
When the main characters needed to infiltrate a military base as part of a rescue mission, they returned to these now-abandoned tunnels. This is similar to how APTs such as Salt Typhoonhave used administrator credentials to gain initial access into enterprise networks.
When planning their rescue mission, one of the main characters directly references The Great Escape, suggesting they use these tunnels to reach the bathrooms on the military base.
This is like lateral movement in the real world, which enables threat actors to move across a network undetected. It is also a good reminder that building control systems, such as HVAC systems and other "smart" IoT devices, may be exploited in an attack. These are the sort of systems that create cybersecurity blind spots.
AI-Enabled Cybersecurity, AI-Enabled Cyberattacks
A major plot point of Stranger Things is that Eleven gained her superpowers because she was infused with the blood of the main villain. There is a parallel here with the dual use of AI.
When ChatGPT launched in 2023, cybersecurity experts warned that threat actors would begin using it for AI-enabled attacks. In 2025, OpenAI and Anthropic both validated these concerns, reporting on a variety of AI-enabled cyberattack campaigns.
The imminent threat in 2026 is that threat actors have trained AI agents to autonomously conduct targeted attacks and widespread vulnerability scanning. This is another example of how the hive mind controlled the demogorgons, but they retained autonomy in their attacks.
In addition to focusing on preemptive protection, cybersecurity teams should adopt agentic workflows to keep pace with the asynchronous pace of agentic attacks. Preventing cyberattacks requires identifying vulnerable devices and prioritizing remediation, but this can only be done if organizations are first aware of all the assets on their networks. Once organizations adopt agentic workflows, the process of opening tickets and even remediation can be further automated.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to defending the enterprise against the threats that lurk in the shadows; just like the final battle between good and evil, it takes a coordinated effort. In cybersecurity, this coordinated effort means unified visibility and control to protect the entire attack surface. In doing so, cybersecurity teams can turn their risks "right side up."
Meridiano
