{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"startTime":0.24,"endTime":3.76,"body":"Ready for another tech tip from techbrood? Well, here's Greg"},{"startTime":3.76,"endTime":7.6,"body":"Doig with another one for you. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the show."},{"startTime":8.16,"endTime":11.84,"body":"Today we're talking about something that's been making waves in the digital world."},{"startTime":12.24,"endTime":16.04,"body":"A ransomware group called play. I just read a joint"},{"startTime":16.04,"endTime":19.88,"body":"advisory from the FBI and some other security agencies, and I wanted"},{"startTime":19.88,"endTime":22.96,"body":"to break it down to you in pretty much plain English."},{"startTime":23.52,"endTime":26.63,"body":"So what's the deal with PLAY ransomware? Let me tell you."},{"startTime":27.03,"endTime":30.63,"body":"First off, this group has been around since June of 2022,"},{"startTime":30.95,"endTime":34.47,"body":"so it's not brand new, but definitely still causing headaches."},{"startTime":34.71,"endTime":38.15,"body":"The FBI, CISA and some Australian cyber"},{"startTime":38.15,"endTime":41.749,"body":"folks just updated their advisory about play on"},{"startTime":41.749,"endTime":45.43,"body":"June 4th. They're basically trying to warn everyone about this threat"},{"startTime":45.43,"endTime":49.27,"body":"and give tips on how to protect ourselves. What's wild is how"},{"startTime":49.27,"endTime":53.0,"body":"widespread this has become. These cybercriminals have hit"},{"startTime":53.0,"endTime":56.64,"body":"businesses and important infrastructure across North America, South"},{"startTime":56.64,"endTime":60.0,"body":"America and Europe. In fact, they were one of the busiest"},{"startTime":60.0,"endTime":63.64,"body":"ransomware groups last year. The FBI knows of about"},{"startTime":63.64,"endTime":67.12,"body":"900 organizations that have been attacked by these folks."},{"startTime":67.439,"endTime":71.28,"body":"That's pretty huge. Australia started seeing attacks in April"},{"startTime":71.28,"endTime":74.8,"body":"of 2023, with the most recent one happening last"},{"startTime":74.8,"endTime":78.64,"body":"November. These PLAY ransomware folks operate differently than"},{"startTime":78.64,"endTime":82.25,"body":"some other groups. They're pretty secretive. It's thought to be a"},{"startTime":82.25,"endTime":85.85,"body":"closed group that keeps their operations tight. Their method is"},{"startTime":85.85,"endTime":89.65,"body":"especially nasty because they use what experts call a double extortion"},{"startTime":89.65,"endTime":93.17,"body":"model. So what does that mean? Well, they first steal your data"},{"startTime":93.25,"endTime":96.73,"body":"and then they lock up your systems. Their ransom notes are"},{"startTime":96.73,"endTime":100.57,"body":"interesting too. Unlike other ransomware groups that tell you right away how much they"},{"startTime":100.57,"endTime":104.37,"body":"want, PLAY just gives you an email address to contact them. It's"},{"startTime":104.37,"endTime":107.8,"body":"a unique German email for each victim. And get this,"},{"startTime":107.8,"endTime":111.6,"body":"sometimes they even call their victims on the phone. Can you imagine picking up"},{"startTime":111.6,"endTime":115.28,"body":"your office phone and it's a ransomware attacker threatening to release all your data"},{"startTime":115.28,"endTime":119.08,"body":"unless you pay up. That's pretty creepy. And if you don't pay,"},{"startTime":119.08,"endTime":122.799,"body":"which they want in cryptocurrency, of course, they threaten to publish all"},{"startTime":122.799,"endTime":126.04,"body":"your sensitive data on the dark web. It's like digital"},{"startTime":126.12,"endTime":129.8,"body":"blackmail. So what can you do to protect yourself? The"},{"startTime":129.8,"endTime":133.46,"body":"security agencies have some pretty straightforward advice. Some of this"},{"startTime":133.46,"endTime":137.02,"body":"you may have heard before and hopefully are doing. First, use"},{"startTime":137.02,"endTime":140.66,"body":"multi factor authentication. You know, where you need both a password and a"},{"startTime":140.66,"endTime":144.5,"body":"code from your phone. It's annoying sometimes, but way better than being hacked."},{"startTime":144.66,"endTime":148.38,"body":"Two, keep offline backups of your important data. It's like saving"},{"startTime":148.38,"endTime":151.62,"body":"stuff on external drives that aren't connected to the Internet."},{"startTime":151.94,"endTime":154.98,"body":"And three, have a plan for what to do if you do get hit because"},{"startTime":154.98,"endTime":158.78,"body":"scrambling in the moment is never good. 4. Keep everything"},{"startTime":158.78,"endTime":162.58,"body":"updated these annoying update notifications. Yeah, you should probably"},{"startTime":162.58,"endTime":165.78,"body":"click them. And I know cybersecurity can seem"},{"startTime":165.78,"endTime":169.54,"body":"overwhelming, but these basic steps can make a huge difference. And hey,"},{"startTime":169.54,"endTime":172.5,"body":"if you run into business, the government actually has a website"},{"startTime":173.06,"endTime":176.66,"body":"that's called stopransomware.gov with free"},{"startTime":176.66,"endTime":180.42,"body":"resources to help you. That's it for today's episode."},{"startTime":180.66,"endTime":184.26,"body":"Until next time. Stay safe online and we'll talk to you soon."},{"startTime":186.42,"endTime":190.14,"body":"Thank you for tuning into another episode of Tech Brood. If you enjoyed"},{"startTime":190.14,"endTime":193.92,"body":"today's discussion, don't forget, forget to subscribe. Wherever you get your podcasts,"},{"startTime":194.24,"endTime":198.08,"body":"have questions or suggestions for future topics, reach out on our"},{"startTime":198.08,"endTime":201.76,"body":"website or social media channels. Until next time. Greg"},{"startTime":201.76,"endTime":205.32,"body":"asked me to remind you that the future of tech is brewing right now and"},{"startTime":205.32,"endTime":209.04,"body":"we're all part of that journey. Stay curious, stay connected and"},{"startTime":209.04,"endTime":210.88,"body":"we will catch you on our next episode."}]}