Hacking

Black blue and gray illustration of people coming out of phones

Spyware found on phones in Jordan

According to a recent report, dozens of journalists, human rights workers and political activists in Jordan have been targeted with Pegasus spyware over the past few years. It's one of the most widespread uses of spyware on civil society. Dina Temple-Raston, host and managing editor of the Recorded Future News podcast “Click Here,” has the story.

Spyware found on phones in Jordan
Inside of a computer

Countries fear state-sponsored cyberwar

Countries fear state-sponsored cyberwar
Illustration by Megan J. Goff

Threat-hunter says Iran is stepping up the sophistication of its cyberattacks

Threat-hunter says Iran is stepping up the sophistication of its cyberattacks
Blue, gray and white illustration of flys in cage

China's dominant role in producing hacking bugs

China's dominant role in producing hacking bugs
illustration

Exclusive: Inside an American hunt forward operation in Ukraine

Exclusive: Inside an American hunt forward operation in Ukraine
Black, blue and grey illustration of man looking over small figures

The hacker Bassterlord in his own words: Portrait of an access broker as a young man

He started off doing simple phishing attacks. But the Russian, who is known as Bassterlord, soon graduated to planting ransomware in emails, holding companies' data hostage. And he quickly became one of the best. In her exclusive interview with the hacker, Dina Temple-Raston of the "Click Here" podcast delves into the ransomware underworld.

The hacker Bassterlord in his own words: Portrait of an access broker as a young man
Costa Rica's president

Son of Conti: Ransomware tries its hand at politics

Dina Temple-Raston of the Click Here podcast spoke with Jorge Mora, Costa Rica’s former director of the Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT) and Mario Robles, the CEO and founder of White Jaguars, a Costa Rican cybersecurity company that helped the San José government respond to the ransomware attack on the country.

Son of Conti: Ransomware tries its hand at politics
A woman walks with a power plant in the background, in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, March 16, 2022. 

Ladder theory: Part II

Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive this week into the nature of American public support for cyberattacks — responses depend largely on the harm done and who launched it.

Ladder theory: Part II
Chinese policemen patrol the bund area in Shanghai, June 1, 2022.

Massive data breach in China raises questions around govt's responsibility in securing data, expert says

Zeyi Yang, a China reporter with MIT Technology Review, looked at some of the data and spoke from New York with The World's host Marco Werman about the situation.

Massive data breach in China raises questions around govt's responsibility in securing data, expert says
Russian President Vladimir Putin walks through a hall in the building housing Russia’s GRU military intelligence service. 

Russia has been at war with Ukraine for years — in cyberspace

Troop buildups and diplomatic negotiations highlight the threat of a major land war in Europe. In cyberspace, Russia has been attacking Ukrainian infrastructure and government operations for years.

Russia has been at war with Ukraine for years — in cyberspace
Ukraine’s National Cybersecurity Coordination Center, which opened last year, is a big part of the effort in the country to ramp up its defense against cyberattacks. The center’s office is in the heart of the capital, a five-minute drive from Ukraine’s pa

Ukraine says it’s ramping up its cyberdefense in light of Russian attacks  

Since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and invaded eastern Ukraine, the government in Kyiv has transformed its approach to national security.

Ukraine says it’s ramping up its cyberdefense in light of Russian attacks  
The Department of Justice indicted six officers of Russia’s GRU military intelligence service in October 2020 on charges of hacking and deploying malware.

Russia could unleash disruptive cyberattacks against the US — but efforts to sow confusion and division are more likely

Russia probably has the means to attack US electrical grids and otherwise create havoc but probably won’t go that far. Instead, watch for disinformation aimed at undermining the US and NATO.

Russia could unleash disruptive cyberattacks against the US — but efforts to sow confusion and division are more likely
Andreina Baduel wears a T-shirt that reads in Spanish "Justice and freedom" and holds a sign with pictures of people during a protest against political prisoners outside the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, known as the Helicoide, in Caracas

ICC to open investigation over alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela

Chief prosecutor Karim Khan announces the ICC will open an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela. Also, the US has added NSO Group, the Israeli company behind the controversial Pegasus spyware, to its trade blacklist. And, the UK approves Molnupiravir, the first antiviral oral pill found to be effective in treating symptomatic COVID-19.

ICC to open investigation over alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela
A logo adorns a wall on a branch of the Israeli NSO Group company, near the southern Israeli town of Sapir, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021.

Cybersecurity expert: Israeli spyware company NSO Group poses ‘a serious threat to phone users’

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with The Citizen Lab in Canada who discovered the Apple iPhone breach with his colleagues, joined The World's host Carol Hills to talk about the international spyware marketplace that fosters these kinds of exploits.

Cybersecurity expert: Israeli spyware company NSO Group poses ‘a serious threat to phone users’
In this Aug. 22, 2019, file photo, signs on a bank of computers tell visitors that the machines are not working at the public library in Wilmer, Texas. 

Checking in on the pandemic: Part II

How did the pandemic change the world of cybercrime? Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive into how people exploited the pandemic online.

Checking in on the pandemic: Part II