Hacking the hackers... with a credit card?

A cybersecurity firm is buying access to underground crime forums to gather intelligence. Does that seem daft to you?

And over in Nigeria, even if romance scammers would like to update their LinkedIn profiles, just how easy is it to turn a new leaf after a sweet-talking career in cybercrime?

All this and much much more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Episode links:

• Sell your forum accounts - PRODAFT.
• International Scammers Steal Over $1 Trillion in 12 Months in Global State of Scams Report 2024 - Gasa.org.
• Why Nigeria's internet scammers are 'role models' - BBC News.
• 28-year-old fraudster surrenders to EFCC, confesses to romance scams - Punch Newspapers.
• Black Box - BBC iPlayer.
• Black Box trailer - YouTube.
• Katherine Ryan Battleaxe Tour - LW Theatres. 
• Louis Theroux Interviews - Series 1: 5. Katherine Ryan - BBC iPlayer.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• Dashlane - Protect against the #1 cause of data breaches - poor password habits. Save 25% off a new business plan, or 35% off a personal Premium plan!
• Drata - The world’s most advanced Trust Management platform – making risk and compliance management accessible, continuous, and 10x more automated than ever before.
• Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.

Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!

FOLLOW US:

Follow us on Bluesky or