Lazarus: Is your best IT worker really a North Korean hacker?
In December 2014, Sony Pictures announced they were cancelling the release of Seth Rogan’s newest venture The Interview due to a large-scale cyberattack. And in February of this year, global cryptocurrency exchange Bybit suffered a massive attack resulting in the theft of $1.5 billion. These masked actors are still active. But now, they’ve turned their attention to companies like yours... Join hosts Gary Ruddell and Nick Palmer as they speak with Geoff White, one of the worlds leading journalists covering organized crime and tech and the author of The Lazarus Heist – From Hollywood to High Finance: Inside North Korea’s Global Cyber War as they explore the infamous Lazarus group. In this episode, they delve into the groups’ latest modus operandi – infiltration campaigns, whereby North Korean hackers pose as remote IT employees to funnel information through the backdoor and leave logic bombs in code that they can trigger years or months down the line. They look at how this shifts the responsibility model for cybersecurity, requiring vigilance from across the organisation for unusual behaviour. By understanding who these actors are and how they operate, you can better anticipate threats and protect yourself in an increasingly hostile digital world. Subscribe now to meet these Masked Actors — and stay one step ahead in the fight against cybercrime.
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GoldFactory: The cybercriminals who want to steal your face
If a cybercriminal steals your password, you can change it. But what happens if they steal your face? Former soldier turned hacker, Gary Ruddell and financial crime veteran, Nick Palmer, explore the actors behind GoldFactory - a cybercriminal group stealing users' facial recognition data to clean out victims bank accounts.Joined by Craig Jones, who spent five years at Interpol as the director of cybercrime, Gary and Nick explore how masked actors are exploiting AI and Deepfakes for financial gain. In this episode, they dig into the novel tactics of this Chinese-speaking group who created a first of its kind iOS trojan to steal biometric data and bypass banking facial recognition security systems. Together they unpick how cybercriminals are adopting new technologies and franchising their efforts to manipulate more victims and increase their payoff.By understanding who these actors are and how they operate, you can better anticipate threats and protect yourself in an increasingly hostile digital world.Subscribe now to meet these Masked Actors — and stay one step ahead in the fight against cybercrime.
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Cybercriminals Exposed: Welcome to Masked Actors
Welcome to Masked Actors — a true crime-inspired podcast from Group-IB that brings you face to face with the people orchestrating some of the most sophisticated cyberattacks on the planet. Join hosts Gary Ruddell — former soldier turned hacker and cyber threat expert — and Nick Palmer, a financial crime veteran, for the gripping new series which uncovers the tactics, motivations and real-world impact of the top 10 most prolific cybercriminal organizations of 2025.By understanding who these actors are and how they operate, you can better anticipate threats and protect yourself in an increasingly hostile digital world.Subscribe now to meet these Masked Actors — and stay one step ahead in the fight against cybercrime.
True crime meets cybercrime. Discover the people behind the keyboard.From Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) gangs to global financial crime syndicates, the rise of sophisticated cyber threats is reshaping the world. These aren’t lone hackers — they’re organized groups running multi-million dollar operations in the shadows.In the Masked Actors podcast, cyber threat expert and former soldier turned hacker Gary Ruddell joins forces with Nick Palmer, a seasoned financial crime fighter, to investigate the top 10 most dangerous cybercriminal groups of 2025 — drawn from Group-IB’s High-Tech Crime Trends Report.Each episode explores the tactics, motivations, and impact of major cybercrime groups, uncovering their role in the latest cybercrime, RaaS, and financial crime trends. You’ll learn how these actors exploit vulnerabilities, fuel geopolitical tension, and affect businesses and consumers alike.Tune in to Masked Actors — and stay one step ahead of cybercrime.
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