Ransomware Evolution
Easy Prey
Ransomware has changed dramatically over the years. What started as criminals locking up individual computers and demanding relatively small payments has grown into a much larger operation involving stolen data, entire networks, third-party vendors, and increasingly sophisticated ways of pressuring victims to pay. Now AI is adding another wrinkle, giving criminals new tools while also creating some unexpected problems for them. Joining me to talk about how ransomware has evolved is Allan Liska, a ransomware researcher and Field CISO at Recorded Future. Allan has more than 30 years of...
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The Counterfeit Economy
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A counterfeit handbag may leave someone disappointed. A counterfeit medication, airbag, or child’s car seat can do far more damage. Fake products now reach into nearly every part of daily life, and many of them arrive through online stores that look completely legitimate. Kari Kammel saw the danger firsthand when a pharmacist overseas offered her several versions of the same medication. Some were authentic, while others were openly described as counterfeit. That experience stayed with her. She now directs the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection at Michigan State University,...
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The Internet is Playing You
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A convincing lie no longer needs to look suspicious. It can appear in a familiar social media feed, come from someone who seems real, or arrive as a video that looks almost impossible to fake. By the time doubt sets in, the post may already have been shared thousands of times. Few people understand that online environment better than today’s guest. Nina Jankowicz has spent more than a decade studying what she calls the bad things that happen on the internet. She is an internationally recognized expert on disinformation and online harassment. She was also named one of Time magazine’s 100...
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The Psychology of Yes
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It is easy to say you would never fall for a scam when you are looking at the situation from the outside. In the moment, though, things can feel much less obvious. A request may sound reasonable, the person may seem trustworthy, and saying no can feel awkward enough that you go along with something you would normally question. Today’s guest studies exactly why that happens. Vanessa Bohns is the Bronstein Family Professor and Chair of Organizational Behavior at Cornell University’s ILR School. Her work focuses on social influence, compliance, and the pressure people feel to cooperate, even...
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Drink Spiking
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A drink can be out of your sight for only a moment, but that may be all it takes for someone to tamper with it. Spiking can happen in bars, restaurants, festivals, and even among people who already know and trust each other. It also goes far beyond alcohol. Drinks, food, vapes, cigarettes, and other substances can be altered without someone’s knowledge, leaving them vulnerable before they fully understand what is happening. Dawn Dines has spent more than 20 years working to change how people understand and respond to spiking. She is the founder and CEO of Stamp Out Spiking, a UK charity...
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Love, Lies and Locked Up
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What sounds like the plot of a crime thriller was Sharon Armstrong’s real life. An online romance drew her into an elaborate web of lies involving overseas contracts, invented emergencies, and several people playing carefully planned roles. By the time she arrived at an airport in Argentina with five kilograms of cocaine hidden inside her suitcase, she still believed she was carrying business documents for the man she loved. Sharon was arrested and spent more than two years in an Argentinian prison before returning home without a conviction. During that time, she had to confront the truth of...
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The Recruitment Trap
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Everybody is searching for ways to increase income. Unfortunately, MLMs often look like an easy way to start a business without taking on the cost of a traditional company. The pitch sounds simple. Buy the product, follow the plan, and put in the work. The numbers behind those promises often tell a different story. Today’s guest, Stacie Bosley, has spent years studying what really happens inside MLMs. She is a professor at Hamline University in Minnesota and holds a Ph.D. in applied economics. Her research covers multi-level marketing, consumer protection, income claims, and pyramid scheme...
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Convincing Deepfakes
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A familiar voice on the phone or a recognizable face on a video call used to offer some reassurance that you knew who you were dealing with. AI has changed that. Voice cloning, face swaps, and real-time video impersonation now allow scammers to convincingly pose as executives, job candidates, romantic interests, or even family members. Understanding how these attacks work and where they may be headed is a central part of Tom Cross’s work as Head of Threat Research at GetReal Security. Tom has spent more than 30 years studying cybersecurity threats, software vulnerabilities, and the methods...
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When Trust Becomes a Trap
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Most people use technology all day without giving much thought to what is happening behind the screen. We trust routers that may not have been updated in years, depend on internet systems few of us understand, and now turn to artificial intelligence for everything from travel plans to home repairs. That convenience comes with tradeoffs. In this episode, we look at the weaknesses built into our connected world and what happens when our technical knowledge fails to keep pace with the technology surrounding us. Sherrod DeGrippo leads threat intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, where...
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Scam Compounds
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When most people think about online scams, they picture criminals sitting behind a screen and stealing from victims around the world. But in Southeast Asia, many of the people sending those messages are victims too. Some were promised legitimate jobs, flown across borders, trapped inside guarded compounds, and forced to scam others while trying to survive. In this episode, I talk with Ivan Franceschini, a lecturer in Chinese Studies at the Center for Contemporary Chinese Studies Asia Institute. After years of studying labor rights, civil society, and Chinese investment in Cambodia,...
info_outlineRansomware has changed dramatically over the years. What started as criminals locking up individual computers and demanding relatively small payments has grown into a much larger operation involving stolen data, entire networks, third-party vendors, and increasingly sophisticated ways of pressuring victims to pay. Now AI is adding another wrinkle, giving criminals new tools while also creating some unexpected problems for them.
Joining me to talk about how ransomware has evolved is Allan Liska, a ransomware researcher and Field CISO at Recorded Future. Allan has more than 30 years of experience in information security and has spent the last 12 years researching ransomware. He has advised major corporations and government agencies, served on national ransomware task forces, and written extensively about ransomware and threat intelligence.
We talk about how ransomware became the business it is today, why small businesses can be just as vulnerable as larger organizations, and how attackers are increasingly going after trusted vendors instead of their intended targets directly. We also discuss what happens inside an organization after an attack, why disrupting ransomware groups really can make a difference, how AI is being used by criminals, and some of the mistakes ransomware operators make that ultimately work against them.
Show Notes:
- [01:06] Allan Liska introduces himself and shares how his work at FireEye led him to begin researching ransomware more than a decade ago.
- [03:10] Growing ransomware problems pushed Allan and other researchers to begin developing better detections for attacks that many security teams were overlooking.
- [05:22] Ransomware evolved from attacks on individual computers to taking down entire networks and later stealing data to pressure victims into paying.
- [06:30] Publicly naming victims gave ransomware groups their own form of publicity and made it much harder for organizations to quietly deny an attack.
- [08:05] Encryption creates technical challenges for criminals, and stealing valuable data can sometimes be just as effective as encrypting an organization’s systems.
- [09:28] Attackers increasingly target vendors and partners, while some groups are now using AI to create fake stolen data and falsely claim organizations as victims.
- [13:05] Chris and Allan discuss how transparency and regular communication can help organizations manage public trust after a security incident.
- [14:35] Ransomware response can quickly lead to employee burnout, making outside coordination and basic needs like sleep, food, and scheduling an important part of incident management.
- [16:14] A major breach may temporarily open security budgets, so organizations should already know which improvements they would prioritize after an incident.
- [23:29] International law enforcement agencies have become increasingly creative about tracking ransomware operators and waiting for them to make mistakes.
- [25:48] Being skilled at hacking does not necessarily mean criminals are equally skilled at protecting their identities or activities from intelligence agencies.
- [28:21] Ransomware groups frequently make technical and strategic mistakes, including faulty AI-generated tools, reused encryption keys, and stealing data nobody considers valuable.
- [29:36] Fewer ransomware victims are paying, but average payments are increasing, and ransomware remains profitable enough to attract new threat actors.
- [33:09] Allan explains why simply banning ransom payments may not work and discusses approaches that could give governments better intelligence about where payments go.
- [39:33] Collaboration remains an important part of ransomware research, and Allan encourages people entering the field to learn from other researchers and security communities.
Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.