Masked Actors
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.
Episodes
11 episodes
Team TNT: Could you be unknowingly mining for crypto?
Cryptocurrency promised huge potential for investors. But it’s cybercriminals who are reaping the benefits. From multimillion-dollar ransomware payouts to borderless money laundering, cryptocurrency has quietly become the fuel powering a global...
Boolka: The evolution of a cybercriminal enterprise
If evolution has taught humanity anything, it’s that adaptation is key to survival. As prey develop camouflage techniques, predators get faster, sturdier, and better at detection. Now this game of cat and mouse is taking over the digital world....
Brain Cipher: What happens when national infrastructure comes under strike?
Indonesia, June 2024 - 210 critical government agencies were crippled in one fell swoop. Immigration services were in disarray; customs officers locked out of critical systems and travellers left stranded in airport and ferry terminals facing d...
Ajina: Can you really trust that app?
Cyber criminals are masters at exploiting human vulnerability and trust. In Uzbek folklore, there's a creature known for causing chaos, preying on humans, lurking in the dark and changing its face to trick its victims before it pounces. <...
MuddyWater & OilRig: The cyber espionage playbook
As digital infrastructure becomes the backbone of global economies, cyber espionage has quietly evolved into one of the most powerful tools in modern statecraft. Behind the scenes, nation-backed threat groups like MuddyWater and Oi...
Joystick to Jailbreak: Exploring the Youth Cybercrime Pandemic
Forget everything you think you know about hackers. Today’s cybercriminals aren’t lurking in shadowy basements - they’re teenagers mastering cheat codes on Roblox, swapping tips on Discord, and using AI to launch attacks from their bedrooms.
RansomHub: From RaaS Kingpin to Cartel Mystery
When RansomHub, one of the most prolific ransomware groups, vanished overnight back in April, it sent shockwaves through the cybercriminal underworld. With over 600 global attacks and millions extorted, their sudden disappearance left affiliate...
DragonForce: The Cyber Cartel Helping Hackers Hit the High Street
Empty shelves, lost customers, and hundreds of millions of pounds in lost profit are just some of the outcomes that retailers have faced in the wake of recent ransomware attacks. From the Co-operative to M&S, the recent cyber attacks on UK ...
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 atta...
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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 GoldF...
