33. Throwing bricks for $$$: violence-as-a-service comes of age
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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
20 Sep 202219min
32. The great tractor jailbreak
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? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
13 Sep 202224min
31. Seagulls in the park
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? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
6 Sep 202221min
30. The scariest piece of malware since Stuxnet
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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
30 Aug 202224min
29. The musicians who came in from the cold
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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
23 Aug 202230min
28. A return to Stanislav
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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
16 Aug 202224min
27. Exclusive: North Korea’s monster fake out
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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
9 Aug 202224min
26. Pegasus is listening
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. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
2 Aug 202221min
