In Hackers (1995), Eugene Belford uses the hacker alias The Plague.
The Plague is the film’s principal antagonist. He is an older, highly skilled hacker who works as a security officer at Ellingson Mineral Corporation while secretly using his access for criminal purposes. His scheme involves planting a computer virus and attempting to profit from the resulting threat.
The name contrasts with the youthful aliases used by the film’s main hacker group. Dade Murphy is Crash Override, Kate Libby is Acid Burn, and Eugene Belford is The Plague. Those names help Hackers present cyberspace as a competitive subculture with its own identity and reputation system.
The role is played by Fisher Stevens. The Plague is sometimes mistakenly identified with Zero Cool, but Zero Cool is Dade Murphy’s old handle, not the villain’s. Hackers was released in 1995 and directed by Iain Softley, with the plot blending teenage rebellion, corporate crime, and stylized computer culture.