Click Here
413 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 92 ratingsThe podcast that tells true stories about the people making and breaking our digital world. We take listeners into the world of cyber and intelligence without all the techie jargon.
Every Tuesday and Friday, former NPR investigations correspondent Dina Temple-Raston and the team draw back the curtain on ransomware attacks, mysterious hackers, and the people who are trying to stop them.
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Episodes
'Baggage from a severely harmed relationship'
March 15, 2022 04:00 - 26 minutesLt. Col. Alexander Vindman became a household name when he reported that President Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky to open an investigation on then-presidential hopeful Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. He explains how – in just a couple of years – we went from a controversial phone call to an invasion and the largest territorial aggression in Europe since World War Two. SHOW NOTES: Here, Right Matters The Day After Russia Attacks America Must Do More to Help Ukraine Fight...
5. Conti leaks: the Panama Papers of ransomware
March 08, 2022 08:00 - 26 minutesNot long after the Conti ransomware group threw its weight behind Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine someone leaked two years’ of its internal chat logs. What they’ve revealed has rocked the cyber world and made clear that running a world-class ransomware operation isn’t as easy as it used to be. Plus, a new look at information warfare with author Amy Zegart. SHOW NOTES: Conti ransomware gang chats leaked by pro-Ukraine member
Conti Leaks: The Panama Papers of Ransomware
March 08, 2022 08:00 - 25 minutesConti, one of the most successful ransomware gangs in the world, has a leak problem. Shortly after the group pledged its support to Russia in its campaign against Ukraine, someone released more than two years’ of its internal chat logs. What they reveal has rocked the cyber world and, among other things, made clear that running a world-class ransomware operation isn’t as easy as it used to be. SHOW NOTES: Conti ransomware gang chats leaked by pro-Ukraine member
5. Conti Leaks: The Panama Papers of Ransomware
March 08, 2022 08:00 - 26 minutesNot long after the Conti ransomware group threw its weight behind Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine someone leaked two years’ of its internal chat logs. What they’ve revealed has rocked the cyber world and made clear that running a world-class ransomware operation isn’t as easy as it used to be. Plus, a new look at information warfare with author Amy Zegart. SHOW NOTES: Conti ransomware gang chats leaked by pro-Ukraine member
4. 'They Are Fighting Like Lions'
March 01, 2022 05:00 - 23 minutesThe most surprising thing about the Russian invasion of Ukraine – aside from the invasion itself – is how small a role cyber operations have played to this point. That’s likely to change. Plus the administration’s unusual weapon against misinformation campaigns: declassifying intelligence. SHOW NOTES: Russia appears to deploy digital defenses after DDoS attacks Biden: U.S. ‘prepared to respond’ to Russian cyberattacks as invasion of Ukraine continues Russia or Ukraine: Hacking groups take s...
4. 'They are fighting like lions'
March 01, 2022 05:00 - 23 minutesThe most surprising thing about the Russian invasion of Ukraine – aside from the invasion itself – is how small a role cyber operations have played to this point. That’s likely to change. Plus the administration’s unusual weapon against misinformation campaigns: declassifying intelligence. SHOW NOTES: Russia appears to deploy digital defenses after DDoS attacks Biden: U.S. ‘prepared to respond’ to Russian cyberattacks as invasion of Ukraine continues Russia or Ukraine: Hacking groups take s...
'They Are Fighting Like Lions'
March 01, 2022 05:00 - 22 minutesSo far, Russia has depended little on cyber weapons as it launches its bloody invasion on Ukraine, but that is unlikely to last for long. U.S. officials say cyber attacks are coming, and they have a pretty good idea what will be in the crosshairs. SHOW NOTES: Russia appears to deploy digital defenses after DDoS attacks Biden: U.S. ‘prepared to respond’ to Russian cyberattacks as invasion of Ukraine continues Russia or Ukraine: Hacking groups take sides NetBlocks tracking internet disruptions
3. In Touch with Reality
February 22, 2022 08:00 - 41 minutesIn a rare interview, Click Here catches up with former NSA contractor Reality Winner. Back in 2017, she leaked a five-page classified document to journalists that showed how Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 elections. She went to prison for it and talks at length about why she did what she did and how it so spectacularly backfired. And a chat with the head of the internet watchdog, Netblocks.
3. In touch with reality
February 22, 2022 08:00 - 41 minutesIn a rare interview, Click Here catches up with former NSA contractor Reality Winner. Back in 2017, she leaked a five-page classified document to journalists that showed how Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 elections. She went to prison for it and talks at length about why she did what she did and how it so spectacularly backfired. And a chat with the head of the internet watchdog, Netblocks.
In Touch with Reality
February 22, 2022 08:00 - 41 minutesBack in 2017, NSA contractor Reality Winner mailed a classified document about Russian interference in the 2016 elections to reporters at The Intercept. We sat down with her, in a rare interview, in an attempt to answer a simple question: after serving the longest sentence ever meted out to someone for leaking classified information to the media – did she do exceptionally grave damage to this country, as the prosecutors alleged, or, as her supporters contend, was she trying to defend America’...
2. A place called darkode
February 15, 2022 08:00 - 28 minutesRyan Green helped start one of the largest English-language dark markets in the world: Darkode. He takes us behind-the-scenes of how it started, how it ended, and how it managed to come back again. Plus, we look at a Russian misinformation re-tread. SHOW NOTES: CBS NEWS: How authorities infiltrate the Internet underworld Department of Justice announcement on Darkode’s takedown Russian 2014 fake news story
2. A Place Called Darkode
February 15, 2022 08:00 - 28 minutesRyan Green helped start one of the largest English-language dark markets in the world: Darkode. He takes us behind-the-scenes of how it started, how it ended, and how it managed to come back again. Plus, we look at a Russian misinformation re-tread. SHOW NOTES: CBS NEWS: How authorities infiltrate the Internet underworld Department of Justice announcement on Darkode’s takedown Russian 2014 fake news story
A Place Called Darkode
February 15, 2022 08:00 - 28 minutesA Malware marketplace is just like it sounds — a convenient online store selling pre-packaged, off-the-shelf hacking kits. And just about anyone can use them. In this episode, we speak to one of the people who started the largest English-language dark web market in the world: Darkode. We chronicle how it started, how it died, and how, against all odds, it came back. SHOW NOTES: CBS NEWS: How authorities infiltrate the Internet underworld Department of Justice announcement on Darkode’s tak...
1. A New Franchising Opportunity
February 08, 2022 05:00 - 27 minutesOur first episode is an origin story. Ransomware-as-a-service got its start in an unlikely place: Texas. We tell the story of how a Russian cyber gang called REvil went toe-to-toe with a bunch of Texas towns and emerged with a new business model. SHOW NOTES: An interview with REvil’s Unknown Surveillance video of REvil's hacks
1. A new franchising opportunity
February 08, 2022 05:00 - 27 minutesOur first episode is an origin story. Ransomware-as-a-service got its start in an unlikely place: Texas. We tell the story of how a Russian cyber gang called REvil went toe-to-toe with a bunch of Texas towns and emerged with a new business model. SHOW NOTES: An interview with REvil’s Unknown Surveillance video of REvil's hacks
A New Franchising Opportunity
February 08, 2022 05:00 - 27 minutesIn our first episode, we turn the clock back to 2019, when a group of cyber criminals launched the largest coordinated ransomware attack in U.S. history. The target: Texas. A gang of Russian-speaking hackers called REvil locked up computers all over the state and, eventually, came to change the business of ransomware as we know it. SHOW NOTES: An interview with REvil’s Unknown Surveillance video of REvil's hacks
Introducing Click Here - Coming Feb. 9th
January 21, 2022 14:59 - 1 minuteIt seems like we hear about new cyberattacks almost every day. The targets used to be just big companies and government agencies. Now they are focused on you. Every Tuesday, former NPR investigations correspondent Dina Temple-Raston dives deep into the world of cyber and intelligence. You’ll hear stories about everything from ransomware to misinformation to the people shaping the cyber world, from hacking masterminds to the people who try to stop them. Click Here. Produced by The Record Media
Introducing Click Here
January 21, 2022 14:59 - 1 minuteIt seems like we hear about new cyberattacks almost every day. The targets used to be just big companies and government agencies. Now they are focused on you. Every Tuesday, former NPR investigations correspondent Dina Temple-Raston dives deep into the world of cyber and intelligence. You’ll hear stories about everything from ransomware to misinformation to the people shaping the cyber world, from hacking masterminds to the people who try to stop them. Click Here. Produced by The Record Media
Introducing CLICK HERE
January 21, 2022 14:59 - 2 minutesIt seems like we hear about new cyberattacks almost every day. The targets used to be just big companies and government agencies. Now they are focused on you. Every Tuesday, former NPR investigations correspondent Dina Temple-Raston dives deep into the world of cyber and intelligence. You’ll hear stories about everything from ransomware to misinformation to the people shaping the cyber world, from hacking masterminds to the people who try to stop them. Click Here. Produced by The Record Media
Introducing Click Here - Coming Feb. 8th
January 21, 2022 14:59 - 1 minuteIt seems like we hear about new cyberattacks almost every day. The targets used to be just big companies and government agencies. Now they are focused on you. Every Tuesday, former NPR investigations correspondent Dina Temple-Raston dives deep into the world of cyber and intelligence. You’ll hear stories about everything from ransomware to misinformation to the people shaping the cyber world, from hacking masterminds to the people who try to stop them. Click Here. Produced by The Record Media
242 The 2022 Threat Intelligence Outlook
January 20, 2022 15:14 - 18 minutesJoining us this week is Jason Steer, principal security strategist at Recorded Future. Our conversation centers on the state of threat intelligence in a rapidly changing security environment, how organizations are adapting and evolving their threat intelligence strategies, as well as Jason Steer’s outlook on some of the security challenges professionals are likely to face in the year ahead.
241 Cybersecurity First Principles
January 10, 2022 17:00 - 30 minutesRick Howard has enjoyed a distinguished career in cybersecurity, including time in the U.S. Army and as chief security officer at Palo Alto Networks. These days, I’m proud to call Rick my colleague at the CyberWire, where he serves as our chief security officer and chief analyst. Rick Howard is also creator of the podcast series CSO Perspectives, where he explores the wide spectrum of issues facing chief security officers. In an early season of that show, Rick focuses on the notion of first ...
240 Mitigating Synthetic Identity Security Risks
January 03, 2022 17:00 - 18 minutesBad actors continue to accelerate their use of inauthentic or captured online identities to facilitate their activities. Whether it’s phishing for credentials, making use of leaked identity databases or scraping publicly accessible information, they take advantage of weaknesses in identity management systems and inadequate awareness to make their way into and, once inside, around systems. Our guest this week is Recorded Future’s Vice President of Product Management, Jamie Zajac. She explains ...
239 DDoS Defenses Divide and Conquer
December 20, 2021 17:00 - 20 minutesDistributed Denial of Services attacks continue to grow in size, frequency and sophistication, and it’s in every organization’s best interest to properly prepare themselves against this sort of online attack. The team at Cloudflare recently published their 2021 Q3 report on DDoS, outlining their observations and recommendations for mitigating DDoS attacks. Joining us is John Graham-Cumming, CTO at Cloudflare, to share his insights on the state of the DDoS threat, and where things may be headed.
238 Shielding the Nuclear Arsenal From Cyber Attacks
December 13, 2021 17:00 - 28 minutesJoining us this week is Herbert Lin, Senior Research Scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation and Hank J. Holland Fellow at Stanford University. He’s author of the book, Cyber Threats and Nuclear Weapons, in which he outlines the challenges the U.S. faces in modernizing the control systems for our nuclear weapons arsenal, the dangers of connecting these systems to the internet, and the peril of feature-creep and increased complexity in the nuclear age.
237 Protecting Veterans from Targeted Online Scams
December 06, 2021 17:00 - 24 minutesRecorded Future’s Insikt Group recently published a report titled, “Cyber Threats to Veterans in 2021: Spam and Scams Exploit Support for Veterans.” The report outlines the ways online scammers are targeting both veterans themselves and people who may be sympathetic to causes that claim to support veterans. Andrew McIntyre and David Carver are members of the Recorded Future Insikt Group’s subscriptions and periodicals team, and they join us with insights from the report.
236 Preparing for the Next Ransomware Generation
November 29, 2021 17:00 - 21 minutesOn this week’s show we welcome back Recorded Future’s Allan Liska to discuss his newly published book, Ransomware: Understand, Prevent, Recover. In the years since Allan co- authored his previous book on ransomware much has changed, with an increased sophistication from the threat actors, higher ransom demands and extortion thrown into the mix. Allan Liska explains these changes, and provides his expert insights on what organizations need to do to protect themselves from this continuing threat.
235 CISA's Collaborative Mission of Public Private Partnerships
November 22, 2021 17:00 - 18 minutesThe Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, better known as CISA, was spun up in 2018, operating under the Department of Homeland Security. In July of 2021, Jen Easterly was confirmed by the US Senate as director of CISA, and under her leadership the organization has continued its efforts toward public private partnerships in cybersecurity. CISA recently established the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC), an effort by the agency to lead the development of proactive cyber defen...
234 Deepfakes and Synthetic Media Ethics Explained
November 15, 2021 17:00 - 22 minutesDeepfakes and other synthetic media have been grabbing headlines recently for a spectrum of reasons, from unauthorized celebrity pornography to comedy memes and even alleged fraud cheating companies out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a rapidly evolving technology that, like most technological innovations, can be used for good or evil. Henry Ajder is head of policy and partnerships at Metaphysic, an organization at the cutting edge of synthetic media. He joins us to help make sense ...
233 FIN7 Group Lures Cyber Pros With Fake Jobs
November 08, 2021 17:00 - 28 minutesThe cybercriminal group FIN7 made a name for themselves in the criminal underworld for being responsible for large-scale payment card theft campaigns, resulting in the exposure of over 20 million card records. More recently they’ve set their sights on ransomware, as well, and to support their efforts they began recruiting employees using a bogus cybersecurity company using the name Bastion Secure. Our guest today is Ilya Volovik, team lead for the threat intelligence team at Gemini Advisory, ...
232 Influencing International AI Policy with ForHumanity
November 01, 2021 16:00 - 20 minutesLike most emerging technologies, artificial intelligence can be used for good or bad, depending on who’s using it, their intentions and how they apply it. There can also be unintended consequences, which presents policy makers with challenges when trying to apply guard rails to things like AI. Our guest today is Megan Jacquot. She’s an associate cyber security threat intelligence analyst at Recorded Future. On today’s episode, Megan describes her work with international non profit ForHuman...
231 Evaluating the WeTheNorth Illicit Online Forum
October 25, 2021 16:00 - 23 minutesRecorded Future’s Insikt Group recently discovered a new Canada-focused darknet marketplace called WeTheNorth. This localized criminal marketplace features a variety of illegal goods and services for sale, many of which pose a threat to local and global enterprises. WeTheNorth administrators have gone to great lengths to create a marketplace geared toward protecting Canadian buyers and sellers and fostering a relatively safe place to complete transactions. On this week’s episode we welcome ba...
230 Maximizing the Value of Open Source Intelligence
October 18, 2021 16:00 - 25 minutesOur guest this week is Harry Kemsley. He’s president of national security and government at defense intelligence organization, Janes. Prior to joining Janes, he spent 25 years in the Royal Air Force. Harry Kemsley is author of a recent opinion piece published in The Hill, titled In OSINT we trust? In it, he makes the case that many intelligence organizations around the world would do well to increase their use of open source intelligence. To do that, there are cultural issues regarding the r...
229 Cryptocurrency is a Double Edged Sword
October 11, 2021 16:00 - 21 minutesOur guest this week is Kimberly Grauer. She is the director of research at Chainalysis, where she examines trends in cryptocurrency economics and crime. Kimberly Grauer joins us with insights on the state of cryptocurrency around the world, the cultural and regional considerations that play into adoption by individuals, organizations and governments, and where she thinks things are headed.
228 Ransomware Remains a Serious Threat
October 04, 2021 16:00 - 16 minutesRansomware threat actors continue to make their way into systems of organizations big and small all over the world, leading to business interruptions, financial loss, and reputational damage. Even more troubling are recent reports attributing loss of life to ransomware attacks on medical facilities. Our guest this week is Recorded Future threat intelligence analyst Dmitry Smilyanets. He brings his experience and unique insights to the conversation, with the latest tactics, techniques and p...
227 Correspondent Dina Temple-Raston Joins The Record
September 27, 2021 16:00 - 21 minutesOur guest this week is veteran journalist and author Dina Temple-Raston, the newest member of the team at The Record by Recorded Future. Her distinguished career has included assignments at Bloomberg, The New York Sun, and most recently NPR, where she was a member of their Breaking News Investigations team. She shares her own professional story, why she chose to join the team at The Record, and how she sees cybersecurity journalism shaping up in the coming years.
226 The Cozy Relationship Between Russian State and Criminal Actors
September 20, 2021 16:00 - 20 minutesRecorded Future’s Insikt Group recently published a report titled, Dark Covenant: Connections Between the Russian State and Criminal Actors. The report outlines the categories of cyber criminals enjoying privileged status within Russia, along with their often fluid relationships with official Russian authorities. Joining us to discuss the report is a Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst from Recorded Future’s Insikt group. Due to the sensitive nature of the report and her part in gathering inf...
225 Complex Networks and the Cyber Social Terrain
September 13, 2021 16:00 - 30 minutesJoining us this week is John Kelly, founder and CEO of Graphika, a software as a service platform for contextual influence mapping, social media marketing, advertising and analytics. He shares his career journey toward the formation of Graphika, and explains the foundational principles behind mapping complex online social networks, the challenges it presents, and what it means for a world faced with ever-increasing levels of disinformation and influence operations.
224 The Wild Ride Toward Actionable Security Analytics
September 06, 2021 16:00 - 25 minutesOur guest this week is Gunter Ollmann, chief security officer at security analytics firm Devo. He shares his insights on the history and evolution of security analytics, the challenges organizations face when implementing them, the network effects of cloud migration, as well as strategies for making the case to the organizational powers that be that security analytics are a wise investment.
223 Cyber Citizenship Education is Essential
August 30, 2021 16:00 - 29 minutesScholars and researchers from the think tank New America recently released an education policy initiative titled, Teaching Cyber Citizenship — Bridging Education and National Security to Build Resilience to New Online Threats. The report outlines challenges facing educators when it comes to preparing students for the online world, describes the broad spectrum of reasons why it’s important that they are properly prepared, and provides resources and potential solutions for communities and schoo...
222 Action is Critical in US Cyber Policy
August 23, 2021 16:00 - 24 minutesJoining us this week is Jamil Jaffer, senior vice president for strategy, partnerships & corporate development at IronNet Cybersecurity, the organization founded by retired General Keith Alexander, former Director of the National Security Agency and Founding Commander of U.S. Cyber Command. Our conversation covers a variety of topics, including Jamil Jaffer’s own career journey on Capitol Hill and as a self-described “recovering lawyer”, his views on the steps the Biden administration has tak...
221 Establishing Cyber Rules of the Road with Russia
August 16, 2021 16:00 - 22 minutesOur guest this week is Lauren Zabierek, Director of the Cyber Security Project at Harvard's Belfer Center. She’s co-author of a recently published report on the Belfer Center’s Russia Matters website titled, “US-Russian Contention in Cyberspace: Are Rules of the Road Necessary or Possible?” It’s a compelling look into the state of Russo-American relations in cyberspace, why progress in this area is challenging, and what steps might be taken to help both nations work toward improved understand...
220 Understanding Ransomware
August 09, 2021 16:00 - 21 minutesOur guest this week is Rachel Lerman, technology reporter at The Washington Post. She’s coauthor of a recent piece featured in the Post’s technology section titled, The Anatomy of a Ransomware Attack. The piece explains the who, what, when, where, and why of the growing, global problem of ransomware attacks. It’s one of those helpful explainers that those of us in the cybersecurity business can keep at the ready to pass on to our friends and colleagues who ask what this whole ransomware thing...
219 China's Ambitions Toward Digital Colonization
August 02, 2021 16:00 - 18 minutesRecorded Future’s Insikt Group recently released research outlining China’s attempts at what they describe as digital colonization. A focus of China’s efforts involve providing attractive, cost-effective infrastructure deals for developing African nations, using technology sourced from China, technology that includes substantial surveillance capabilities. For some regimes this is all the better, but for others it means joining the online global marketplace in exchange for allowing Chinese aut...
218 You're Not Really Ready for Ransomware
July 26, 2021 16:00 - 29 minutesJoining us this week is Ryan Chapman, Principal Incident Response & Forensics Consultant at Blackberry. Our conversation centers on his belief that most organizations aren’t nearly as prepared for a ransomware incident as they think they are, a belief that has been formed from countless engagements with groups who found out the hard way that their backups have issues, or their overall incident response plan comes up short. We explore the spectrum of reasons why that may be so, and discuss pr...
217 Cutting Through the Cyber Security Noise and Chaos
July 19, 2021 16:00 - 24 minutesOur guest this week is Ryan Naraine. He’s the creator and publisher of Security Conversations, a publication covering the business of cybersecurity through the lens of a veteran journalist and storyteller with a focus on the business trends driving decisions for CEOs, CISOs, and engineering decision makers. We’ll learn how Ryan helps bridge the gap between well-intentioned CISOs doing their best to keep their organizations safe and secure, and cybersecurity vendors trying to cut through the m...
216 Rallying Security Intelligence With the Pride Community
July 12, 2021 16:00 - 18 minutesRecorded Future’s Insikt Group recently published the latest version of their annual report focused on the political landscape facing the LGBTQIA+ community worldwide in the last year. The report is titled Pride and Prejudice in Shifting Landscape of LGBTQIA+ Laws Worldwide, and it tracks both progress and challenges the Pride Community face around the globe. Joining us to share insights from the report as well as the story behind its inception are Recorded Future’s Lea Cure and Evan Akin.
215 A Pivotal Moment for Cyber Insurance
June 28, 2021 16:00 - 22 minutesIt’s fair to say that the explosive growth in ransomware attacks over the past year or so, combined with the big-game-hunting approach from ransomware operators, has set the cyber insurance industry back on its heels. As the direct and indirect costs of cyber attacks have increased, insurance providers have taken a renewed approach to cyber, and the role they play in helping set standards for detection, resilience and incident response. Michael Phillips is Chief Claims Officer of the cyber in...
214 Rage Against the HackMachine
June 21, 2021 16:00 - 17 minutesThere’s a versatile, easy-to-use utility being offered for sale on underground hacker forums, called HackMachine. It allows users to target victim domains and scan sites for known vulnerabilities, attempt brute force attacks, and ultimately inject paycard skimmers or exfiltrate user databases and personally identifiable information. Ilya Vovovik and Shane Asher are researchers at Gemini Advisory, a Recorded Future company, and they join us with key findings from their research into HackMachin...
213 A Nuanced Approach to Insider Threats
June 14, 2021 16:00 - 27 minutesJoining us this week is Jon Ford, Managing Director of Global Government Services & Insider Threat Risk Solutions at Mandiant. Our conversation centers on his experience with effective insider threat programs, from both a technical and human perspective. With twenty years of experience in the FBI before joining Mandiant, Jon Ford gained extensive knowledge from bringing to justice some of the world’s most notorious cyber criminals, knowledge which informs his approach to solving today’s most ...