Masked Actors
Masked Actors
Podcast Description
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.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into various aspects of cybercrime, focusing on topics such as Ransomware-as-a-Service, financial crime syndicates, and the tactics employed by cybercriminal groups. Notable episodes discuss the motivations behind high-stakes hacking operations and the impact of these groups on global security, revealing trends from Group-IB’s High-Tech Crime Trends Report.
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.
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.
In December 2023, it lent its name to a sophisticated Android malware campaign using the same tactics that emerged in the digital underworld. The banking malware masqueraded as legitimate applications, leaving users confused – like its folklorish namesake – and surfaced from the dark to steal everything they had. Its codename: Ajina.
Join Group-IB’s Gary Ruddell and Nick Palmer as they speak with Amy Grieveson, Director of Security and Behaviours at Monzo Bank, revealing the tricks used by financial fraudsters to get victims to hand over their most sensitive information. They discuss sophisticated social engineering deployed by cyber criminals, as well as how to flip the narrative around cyber defence from fear, to empowering consumers with the awareness and routines needed to maintain vigilance in a landscape rife with scams.
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 to Masked Actors now — and stay one step ahead in the fight against cybercrime.
FOLLOW GROUP-IB
- Group-IB Threat Intelligence on X: https://link-wrap.sg.group-ib.com/NzSVv
- Group-IB on X: https://link-wrap.sg.group-ib.com/2yPxT
- Group-IB on LinkedIn: / group-ib
- Group-IB on Facebook: / groupibhq
- Group-IB on Instagram:
Meet Group-IB's top 10 Masked Actors here – and stay one step ahead in the fight against cybercrime.
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