WHAT THE CYBER WAR IN UKRAINE IS TEACHING US

Available Tuesday March 21

In a recent conversation on WAMU’s nationally syndicated show 1A, we talked about lessons learned one year into the world’s first truly hybrid war. The conversation happened amid a report from Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center that found new worrying signs on the Russia-Ukraine cyber front. They believe Sandworm, a cyber military unit of Russia’s intelligence service, has been launching new phishing campaigns, cyber espionage operations, and is stepping up coordination with hacktivists groups.

Enemy of the State (Part 2) : ¿Quién es Guacamaya? (Who is Guacamaya?)

Available Tuesday March 14

Last week we told you about the Mexican military’s secret use of Pegasus spyware. In Part 2 of our series, we introduce you to Guacamaya, the hacktivist collective that has stolen some 25 terabytes of data from military institutions across Latin America… and they aren’t done yet.

Enemy of the State (Part 1): Mexico, spyware, and a secret military intelligence unit

Available Tuesday March 7

A new investigation by R3D and Citizen Lab shows the Mexican Army bought and systematically deployed Pegasus spyware against ordinary Mexican citizens and set up a secret special military unit dedicated to high-tech surveillance. Click Here was part of a small group given early access to their findings.

Ukraine’s drone whisperers: What the weapons are telling us

Available Tuesday February 28

Russia has deployed the Iranian-built Shahed drone to wreak havoc on Ukraine’s infrastructure. We speak to a man who is a kind of drone whisperer. After years of taking these Shahed drones apart, he says if you listen, they have amazing stories to tell.

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez: Twenty-six words get their day in the High Court

Available Tuesday February 21

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a case that will consider a 1995 law that shields social media companies from liability. Gonzalez v. Google could allow people to sue tech companies that use algorithms to sort through their content. Plus, we check in with Alexander Martin, The Record's UK editor, about his takeaways from the Munich Security Conference.

Miss Lonelyhearts and the money mules

Available Tuesday February 14

In a special Valentine’s Day episode, we look at the evolution of romance scams. They aren’t just about bilking lonely people out of their life savings anymore – scammers have diversified, and they’re making victims accomplices in a roster of cyber crimes from email scams and check fraud to money laundering.

Xi's Brave New World

Available Tuesday February 7

At a time when an errant spy balloon has raised new questions about President Xi Jinping’s absolute control over all things Chinese, we take a look at how his regime quelled last year’s Covid protests and how an arsenal of digital weapons helped tighten his grip on power. Plus, facial recognition’s latest nemesis: knitwear.

SPECIAL FEATURE: SHOOT THE MESSENGER: ESPIONAGE, MURDER, & PEGASUS SOFTWARE

Available Tuesday January 31

“Shoot The Messenger” from Exile Content Studio and PRX looks at what happened to the murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The first weapon used against him was digital – a sophisticated spyware called Pegasus.

EXCLUSIVE: AXON STILL WANTS TO PUT TASER DRONES IN YOUR KID’S SCHOOL

Available Tuesday January 24

Click Here goes inside the internal deliberations of an AI ethics board grappling with whether a company should develop stun-gun-enabled drones for police departments. After a year of study, Axon’s AI ethics board concluded the technology was too ripe for abuse. Weeks later the company’s CEO announced a plan to build a weaponized drone to prevent mass shootings in schools. And, cybercriminals’ new best friend: ChatGPT.

LOCKBIT DIARIES: A RESEARCHER’S YEAR UNDERCOVER WITH THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS RANSOMEWARE GANG.

Available Tuesday January 17

After spending more than a year undercover with the notorious ransomware gang LockBit, one researcher explains how the group revolutionized the business of ransomware.

GENSHIN IMPACT: TRYING TO BALANCE MASS APPEAL WITH BEIJING’S BLESSING

Available Tuesday January 10

Genshin Impact put the Chinese video gaming industry on the map. But while the game has delighted players, it begs the question: Can China’s Communist Party and a massively popular video game peacefully co-exist?

CALL ME CRYPTO CURIOUS

Available Tuesday January 3

We take a deep dive into a corner of the cryptocurrency economy that hasn’t (completely) tanked yet: Bitcoin mining. It is part cryptography, part math, and part luck.

SPECIAL FEATURE: ‘SUMMER IN CAPUTH’ FROM EXILE

Available Tuesday December 27

An episode from “Exile”from the Leo Baeck Institute and Antica Productions. At the height of his fame, a shirtless, barefooted Albert Einstein escapes the bustle of Berlin for a simpler life. The best thinkers of the time gather at his beloved summer house in Caputh to laze by the water, swap ideas, and gossip. There, he can escape the pressures of global fame, but his summer haven can’t keep him safe from Germany’s growing Nazi threat.

THE MUSICIANS WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD

Available Tuesday December 20

At a time when Vladimir Putin is attempting to redraw the Iron Curtain, we revisit an earlier episode in which we take a trip back to the Soviet Union circa 1985 when four American musicians smuggled messages in and out of the Soviet Union — with music. Plus, DefCon’s answer to those alien transmissions.

SPECIAL FEATURE: ‘SAVING UKRAINIAN CULTURAL HISTORY ONLINE’ FROM THE LAST ARCHIVE

Available Tuesday December 13

We share special episode of The Last Archive, a podcast about the history of truth — or the lack thereof. Harvard historian Jill Lepore uncovers the secrets of the past the way a detective might. In this episode, Jill chats with Anna Kijas, a co-organizer of SUCHO: Saving Ukrainian Cultural History Online. Lepore and Kijas talk about her effort to preserve online resources that are at risk of disappearing because of the war in Ukraine

THROWING BRICKS FOR $$$: VIOLENCE-AS-A-SERVICE COMES OF AGE

Available Tuesday December 6

We go back to an episode we did earlier this year about a gang of SIM swappers who are behind something called violence-as-a-service. Doxing or defacing websites, they told us, just doesn’t send enough of a message. So, they are throwing molotov cocktails or slashing tires of their rivals instead. Trouble is – it is getting more popular and commonplace and is bound to affect the rest of us.

SPECIAL FEATURE: ‘THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME’ FROM BIG BROTHER: NORTH KOREA’S FORGOTTEN PRINCE

Available Tuesday November 29

“Big Brother: North Korea’s Forgotten Prince” from School of Humans and iHeartPodcasts introduce you to the person who should have been North Korea’s leader – had he not been on the receiving end of what may be the 21st century’s most bizarre assassination plot.

NORTH KOREA’S MONSTER FAKE OUT

Available Tuesday November 22

North Korea has launched an unprecedented number of missiles this month. So we bring you an encore episode about a team of researchers using open-source intelligence to track the hermit kingdom’s nuclear ambitions.Plus, the Yanluowang ransomware group finds itself the victim of a leak.

ROUNDING UP A CYBER POSSE FOR UKRAINE

Available Tuesday November 15

Washington and the tech world have been talking about public private partnerships in cyberspace for decades. The NSA and Cyber Command have intelligence about attacks; cybersecurity companies have the means to block them. It looks like they are finally working together — not in the U.S, but in Ukraine.

SELLING VICE SOCIETY: OLD EXPLOITS, EASY TARGETS, AND THE ILLUSION OF GREATNESS

Available Tuesday November 8

Vice Society burst on the ransomware scene in early 2021, attacking a roster of government offices, hospitals and, notoriously, schools. But cybersecurity experts say the group isn’t your typical ransomware operation: they’re some of cyber crime’s biggest posers, using old exploits on easy targets to give the illusion of greatness.

IS OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE THE SOLUTION TO OUR ELECTION WOES?

Available Tuesday November 1

Ben Adida is the executive director of a voting technology non-profit that provides software and operational support to states during elections. He’s embarked on an almost impossible mission: to restore faith in our election system. The way he proposes to do that? With open-source software that everyone can see.

THE SUPREME COURT CASE THAT COULD CHANGE THE INTERNET

Available Tuesday October 25

Nohemi Gonzalez was killed in the 2015 ISIS attacks in Paris and now is at the heart of a Supreme Court case that will reconsider Section 230, part of a 1995 law that shields social media companies from liability. Gonzalez v. Google could allow people to sue tech companies that use algorithms to sort through their content.

‘PRESENCE MATTERS’: NAKASONE AND EASTERLY ON UKRAINE, COLLABORATION, AND MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Available Tuesday October 18

The head of NSA and Cybercom Gen. Paul Nakasone and CISA director Jen Easterly came to the Council on Foreign Relations last week for a rare sit-down interview. They talked about hunt teams in Ukraine, public-private partnerships and threats ahead of the midterms, with Click Here host Dina Temple-Raston presiding over the session. Plus, one researcher bests Charming Kitten.

THE HIJAB WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

Available Tuesday October 11

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Iran has ignited the most powerful protests the country has seen in years. In addition to violence, authorities have responded with a host of new tools to throttle mobile phone connections, block social media sites, and make it harder for people to organize. Plus, Iran’s diplomatic kerfuffle over a cyber attack in Albania.

REALITY WINNER AND THE HANDLING OF SECRET DOCUMENTS

Available Tuesday October 4

As the wrangling continues over classified documents former President Trump took to his Florida home, we take a second look at the case of Reality Winner. She is the NSA contractor who served time in prison for passing a classified document to a reporter. We had a rare interview with her in February.

UKRAINE’S MASS GRAVES HAVE STORIES TO TELL

Available Tuesday September 27

The town whose name has become synonymous with Russian atrocities in Ukraine is rushing to digitize information about the dead — not just to identify them and give families closure — but to hold Russians accountable for the wanton brutality in Bucha. Plus, scandal in the elite chess world.

THROWING BRICKS FOR $$$: VIOLENCE-AS-A-SERVICE COMES OF AGE

Available Tuesday September 20

Young people who have been making millions hacking mobile phones — known as SIM swappers — have found a new way to intimidate and harass their rivals. They call it “violence-as-a-service” or “IRL jobs,” and it includes a Telegram channel where they can order brickings, firebombings, and even shootings in the real world.

THE GREAT TRACTOR JAILBREAK

Available Tuesday September 13

The talk of DEF CON 2022 was the handiwork of a white hat hacker named Sick Codes. On stage, he demonstrated how he broke the digital locks of a John Deere tractor. He did it with such ease it made people start to wonder: just how hack-able is the world’s agriculture sector?

SEAGULLS IN THE PARK

Available Tuesday September 6

Hydra was a darknet superstore. It started out as an online illegal drug site and morphed into a billion-dollar business with codes of conduct, customer support, and legal and medical services. It had started offering money laundering services when German authorities finally shut it down in April. Now people are asking: who or what will replace it?

THE SCARIEST PIECE OF MALWARE SINCE STUXNET

Available Tuesday August 30

Back in April, cybersecurity officials discovered the notorious “Industroyer” malware in the Ukrainian electrical grid. It might have been the scariest infrastructure hack since malware destroyed centrifuges at an Iranian uranium enrichment plant in 2010 – were it not for a TGIF miracle. Plus, a visit with the IT Army of Ukraine and a different kind of information operation.

THE MUSICIANS WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD

Available Tuesday August 23

At a time when Vladimir Putin is attempting to redraw the Iron Curtain, we take a trip back to the Soviet Union circa 1985 when four American musicians smuggled messages in and out of the Soviet Union — with music. Plus, DefCon’s answer to those alien transmissions.

A RETURN TO STANISLAV

Available Tuesday August 16

We first spoke with Russian business owner Stanislav back in early March, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Almost six months later, we check back in with him to see how he’s doing, and look at a new report that suggests the Russian economy is cratering. Plus, inside a massive breach affecting a police database in Shanghai.

EXCLUSIVE: NORTH KOREA’S MONSTER FAKE OUT

Available Tuesday August 9

Thousands of satellites watch the world from above. We offer a mystery story about an infamous North Korean video, a team of very observant researchers, and a search for the truth.

PEGASUS IS LISTENING

Available Tuesday August 2

Carine Kanimba’s father may be one of the most famous Rwandans on earth – Paul Rusesabagina. He was the manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines, and he sheltered more than 1,200 Rwandans during the 1994 genocide. Now his daughter is at the center of a Capitol Hill inquiry into the proliferation of commercial spyware, a particular program called Pegasus, and the future of the company that created it.

LAPSUS$: THE SCRIPT KIDDIES ARE ALRIGHT

Available Tuesday July 26

How a new cyber extortion team called LAPSUS$ managed to convince the world that it had turned low-tech hacking operations into high impact heists. And two high-schoolers who tinkered with a punch card and almost brought down the IBM computer center in Manhattan.

SPECIAL FEATURE: ‘EL SALVADOR’S BITCOIN EXPERIMENT’ FROM NOTHING IS FOREIGN

Available Tuesday July 19

Earlier this year, the CBC’s Nothing is Foreign podcast reported on how El Salvador’s promise of a cryptocurrency paradise runs up against reality.

The POST-ROE DIGITAL WORLD

Available Tuesday July 12

An encore performance of one of our most popular episodes. Five years ago, a Mississippi woman named Latice Fisher was charged with murdering her stillborn child. The evidence against her: a controversial 400-year-old test and the search history on her cellphone.

SPECIAL FEATURE: ‘NSO’ FROM Darknet Diaries

Available Tuesday July 5

Last August, the Darknet Diaries host Jack Rhysider did a story about the NSO Group’s most famous product — Pegasus — a surveillance program which has the ability to turn just about anyone’s phone into a pocket spy.

SON OF CONTI

Available Tuesday June 28

The Conti ransomware group appeared to be on ropes earlier this year when its internal chat logs went public –revealing the inner workings of a hacking cartel. Then, the gang surprised everyone by launching a cyber attack against Costa Rica aimed at overthrowing its government. Plus, what happens when a company actually wants to talk about being the target of a ransomware attack – how much will they say?

NORTH KOREA’S CRYPTOCURRENCY OBSESSION

Available Tuesday June 21

For years, North Korea was known for making such a perfect counterfeit hundred-dollar note, the Treasury Department had to change how it printed them. Now, North Korea is all about crypto – and it has been cooking up all kinds of crazy schemes in order to get the Big Score. Plus, we hear from a two-time North Korean defector.

GILMAN LOUIE AND THE DANCE WITH WOLF WARRIORS

Available Tuesday June 14

In a wide-ranging conversation on the fringes of this month’s RSA Conference, we sat down with Silicon Valley venture capitalist and Presidential Intelligence Advisory Board member Gilman Louie. We talked about the Chinese cyber threat, the growth of superpower competition, and the importance of bringing high-tech manufacturing back to America.

GENSHIN IMPACT’S MASS APPEAL WITH BEIJING’S BLESSING

Available Tuesday June 7

Genshin Impact put the Chinese video gaming industry on the map. But while the game has delighted players, it begs the question: Can China’s Communist Party and a massively popular video game peacefully co-exist? Plus, we hit the ground at this year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco.

R-EVIL AND THE TEXAS HACK THAT CHANGED RANSOMWARE AS WE KNOW IT

Available Tuesday May 31

An encore performance of the Click Here pilot episode on REvil and how it landed on a new business model. It happened in an unlikely place: Texas.

ROE V. WADE IN A WORLD OF DIGITAL DUST

Available Tuesday May 24

Five years ago, a Mississippi woman named Latice Fisher was charged with murdering her stillborn child. The evidence against her: a controversial 400-year-old test and the search history on her cellphone. We explain how in a post-Roe world, pattern data will be an even greater threat. Plus, the DOJ tweaks its use of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

AT WAR WITH FACIAL RECOGNITION: CLEARVIEW AI IN UKRAINE

Available Tuesday May 17

Facial recognition technology is changing the war in Ukraine. It is finding infiltrators, providing evidence for war crimes and, more darkly, providing fodder for propaganda. We talk to Clearview AI’s CEO about its role in the conflict and what it means for the future.

‘CREAM OF THE CREAM’: RUSSIA’S HIGH-TECH BRAIN DRAIN

Available Tuesday May 10

Tech entrepreneurs and developers are fleeing Putin’s Russia in droves. Meet three members of the exodus: a young successful entrepreneur… a corporate manager… and a high-school computer whiz who can’t wait to leave. Plus, DHS’ Rob Silvers on how ransomware ends.

SPYWARE AND ‘A WORLD OF BOND VILLAINS’

Available Tuesday May 3

Ron Deibert founded The Citizen Lab, a high-tech human rights watchdog at the University of Toronto. He’s concerned the Internet could unleash our darkest angels. Now, he has an even bigger worry: spyware. It’s become so normalized even democratic nations are using it as high-tech oppo research. Plus, a pause in open source mapping in Ukraine.

LAPSUS$: THE SCRIPT KIDDIES ARE ALRIGHT

Available Tuesday April 26

How a new cyber extortion team called LAPSUS$ managed to convince the world that it had turned low-tech hacking operations into high impact heists. And two high-schoolers who tinkered with a punch card and almost brought down the IBM computer center in Manhattan.

THE ENTREPRENEUR AND THE JIHADIST

Available Tuesday April 19

A Los Angeles tech entrepreneur reveals for the first time the role he played in bringing one of the world’s deadliest hackers to justice. And the founder of Craigslist talks about his effort to build a cyber civil defense force.

ARE AMERICA’S NUCLEAR SYSTEMS SO OLD THEY’RE UN-HACKABLE?

Available Tuesday April 12

In its latest defense budget, the Biden Administration has asked Congress to fund the modernization of America’s nuclear weapons systems.The current system – that until recently was still using eight inch floppies – is seen as so old that it’s virtually un-hackable. So if you modernize, now what? Plus, cyber hits from Nigeria’s music scene.

THE RISE OF HIGH-TECH DESPOTISM

Available Tuesday April 5

Noura Al-Jizawi thought she’d left the repression of the Assad regime behind her when she left Syria with her sister. Instead she became the target of an online subversion campaign. Plus, we meet the founder of a retro computer museum in Mariupol, Ukraine.

WAR, SANCTIONS AND CRYPTO’S BIG MOMENT

Available Tuesday March 29

As sanctions squeeze the Russian economy, ordinary Russians are having to navigate a financial system in mid-collapse. For some, the solution has been cryptocurrencies. We talk to a small businessman in St. Petersburg who explains. Plus, the hack heard ‘round the indie music world.

FIGHTING RUSSIA WITH COMPUTERS, NOT RIFLES

Available Tuesday March 22

A volunteer army made up of thousands of IT professionals from around the world is seeking to fight Russia in cyberspace. We talk to some of its members and discover new limits to Russia’s hacking efforts.

BAGGAGE FROM A SEVERELY HARMED RELATIONSHIP

Available Tuesday March 15

INSIDE CONTI LEAKS: THE PANAMA PAPERS OF RANSOMWARE

Available Tuesday March 8

THEY ARE FIGHTING LIKE LIONS

Available Tuesday March 1

IN TOUCH WITH REALITY

Available now wherever you get your podcasts

A PLACE CALLED DARKODE

Available now wherever you get your podcasts

A NEW FRANCHISING OPPORTUNITY

Available now wherever you get your podcasts