Written in the manner of a good crime thriller (The Wall Street Journal), the inside story of the largest law-enforcement sting operation ever, in which the FBI created its own tech start-up to wiretap the world

In 2018, a powerful app for secure communications called Anom took root among organized criminals. They believed Anom allowed them to conduct business in the shadows. Except for one thing: it was secretly run by the FBI.

Backdoor access to Anom and a series of related investigations granted American, Australian, and European authorities a front-row seat to the underworld. Tens of thousands of criminals worldwide appeared in full view of the same agents they were trying to evade. International smugglers. Money launderers. Hitmen. A sprawling global economy as efficient and interconnected as the legal one. Officers watched drug shipments and murder plots unfold, making arrests without blowing their cover. But, as the FBI started to lose control of Anom, did the agency go too far?

A painstakingly investigated exposé, Dark Wire reveals the true scale and stakes of this unprecedented operation through the agents and crooks who were there. This fly-on-the-wall thriller is a caper for our modern world, where no one can be sure who is listening in.

'Rinsed is a triumph. If you want to understand how the chaotic world around us really works, read this book!'
MILES JOHNSON, AUTHOR OF CHASING SHADOWS

'A riveting look at not only the nuts and bolts of cons and crimes but the techniques detectives use to stalk cyber criminals'
FINANCIAL TIMES

'Gripping'
THE ECONOMIST

For as long as people have been stealing money, there has been an industry ready to wash it. But what happened when our economy went digital? How does the global underworld wash its dirty money in the Internet age?

Rinsed reveals how organized crooks have joined forces with the world's most sophisticated cybercriminals. The result: a vast virtual money-laundering machine too intelligent for most authorities to crack. Through a series of jaw-dropping cases and interviews with insiders at all levels of the system, Geoff White shows how thieves are uniting to successfully get away with the most atrocious crimes on an unprecedented scale.

The book follows money from the outrageous luxury of Dubai hotels to sleepy backwaters of coastal Ireland, from the backstreets of Nigeria to the secretive zones of North Korea, to investigate this new cyber supercartel. Through first-hand accounts from the victims of their devastating crimes, White uncovers the extraordinary true story of hi-tech laundering - and exposes its terrible human cost.

'Rinsed is as twisty, colourful and terrifyingly eye-opening as the people White investigates. You'll never look at wealth, technology and crime in the same way'
CARA MCGOOGAN, AUTHOR OF THE POISON LINE

'A gripping look at the battle between cops and criminals on the new frontier of financial crime'
BRADLEY HOPE, CO-AUTHOR OF BILLION DOLLAR WHALE

From the award-winning author of Sandworm comes the propulsive story of a new breed of investigators who have cracked the Bitcoin blockchain, exposing once-anonymous realms of money, drugs, and violence. I love the book... It reads like a thriller... These stories are amazing. (Michael Lewis)

Over the last decade, a single innovation has massively fueled digital black markets: cryptocurrency. Crime lords inhabiting lawless corners of the internet have operated more freely--whether in drug dealing, money laundering, or human trafficking--than their analog counterparts could have ever dreamed of. By transacting not in dollars or pounds but in currencies with anonymous ledgers, overseen by no government, beholden to no bankers, these black marketeers have sought to rob law enforcement of their chief method of cracking down on illicit finance: following the money.

But what if the centerpiece of this dark economy held a secret, fatal flaw? What if their currency wasn't so cryptic after all? An investigator using the right mixture of technical wizardry, financial forensics, and old-fashioned persistence could uncover an entire world of wrongdoing.

Tracers in the Dark is a story of crime and pursuit unlike any other. With unprecedented access to the major players in federal law enforcement and private industry, veteran cybersecurity reporter Andy Greenberg tells an astonishing saga of criminal empires built and destroyed. He introduces an IRS agent with a defiant streak, a Bitcoin-tracing Danish entrepreneur, and a colorful ensemble of hardboiled agents and prosecutors as they delve deep into the crypto-underworld. The result is a thrilling, globe-spanning story of dirty cops, drug bazaars, trafficking rings, and the biggest takedown of an online narcotics market in the history of the Internet.

Utterly of our time, Tracers in the Dark is a cat-and-mouse story and a tale of a technological one-upmanship. Filled with canny maneuvering and shocking twists, it answers a provocative question: How would some of the world's most brazen criminals behave if they were sure they could never get caught?

Her prose radiates empathy, with none of the artificial distance that journalists or academics enforce between themselves and their subjects. -- The Washington Post

One woman's hilarious and fascinating quest to expose the truth behind fraudulent Twitter profiles: romance scammers beware, you have met your match!

Online romance fraud is a problem across the globe. It causes financial and emotional devastation, yet many people refuse to take it seriously. This is the story of one middle-aged woman in a cardigan determined to understand this growing phenomenon.

No other woman has had so many online romances - from Keanu Reeves to Brad Pitt to Prince William - and Becky Holmes is a favourite among peacekeeping soldiers and oil rig workers who desperately need iTunes vouchers. By winding up scammers and investigating the truth behind their profiles, Becky shines a revealing, revolting and hilarious light on a very shady corner of the internet.

Featuring first-hand accounts of victims, examples of scripts used by fraudsters, a look into the psychology of fraud and of course plenty of Becky's hysterical interactions with scammers, this is a must-read for anyone who needs a reminder that Keanu Reeves is NOT in love with them.

The jaw-dropping story behind North Korea's dangerous cyber-criminals, the Lazarus Group, who hacked Hollywood and the world

'You'll never see North Korea the same way again' Oliver Bullough, author, Moneyland

Meet the Lazarus Group, a shadowy cabal of hackers accused of working on behalf of the North Korean state. They are one of the most effective criminal enterprises on the planet, having stolen more than $1bn in an international crime spree. Their targets include central banks, cryptocurrency companies, film studios and even the British National Health Service.

In this jaw-dropping, global investigation, journalist Geoff White examines how the North Korean regime has harnessed cutting-edge technology to launch a decade-long campaign of brazen and merciless raids on its richer, more powerful adversaries. From the bustling streets of Dhaka, to the glamorous studios of Hollywood, to the glittering casinos of Macau and the secretive dynastic court of Pyongyang, this is the shocking story of the world's most devastating hackers, their victims and the people who have tried - and ultimately, failed - to stop them.

Cyberwarfare, a term that encompasses a wide range of computer-based attacks on targeted enemy states, has emerged as one of the most pressing national security concerns of the 21st century. All around the world, the scramble to shield thoroughly computerized military and infrastructure resources from cyber attacks is intensifying. Military experts, for example, believe that Ukraine's ability to defend its cyberspace from Russian cyber attacks was one of the key reasons Russia's dramatic 2022 invasion of neighboring Ukraine failed to topple the Ukrainian government in Kiev.

This all-in-one resource explains the world of cyber warfare in authoritative but lay friendly terms. First, it details the historical evolution of cyber warfare and the different forms it can take, from crippling attacks on power grids and communications networks to secret intelligence gathering. From there it moves into a wide-ranging exploration of the main controversies and issues surrounding cyber security and cyber warfare, as well as coverage of major cyber warfare attacks, the organizations responsible, and the steps that the United States and other countries are taking to protect themselves from this constantly evolving threat.

Like all books in the Contemporary World Issues series, this volume features a suite of Perspectives in which cyber warfare experts provide insights on various elements of cyber warfare. Other features include informative primary documents, data tables, chronology, and a glossary of terms.

A real-life technological thriller about a band of eccentric misfits taking on the biggest cybersecurity threats of our time.

What Michael Lewis did for baseball in Moneyball, Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden do brilliantly for the world of ransomware and hackers. Cinematic, big in scope, and meticulously reported, this book is impossible to put down. --Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author of In Harm's Way and Horse Soldiers

Scattered across the world, an elite team of code crackers is working tirelessly to thwart the defining cyber scourge of our time. You've probably never heard of them. But if you work for a school, a business, a hospital, or a municipal government, or simply cherish your digital data, you may be painfully familiar with the team's sworn enemy: ransomware. Again and again, an unlikely band of misfits, mostly self-taught and often struggling to make ends meet, have outwitted the underworld of hackers who lock computer networks and demand huge payments in return for the keys.

The Ransomware Hunting Team traces the adventures of these unassuming heroes and how they have used their skills to save millions of ransomware victims from paying billions of dollars to criminals. Working tirelessly from bedrooms and back offices, and refusing payment, they've rescued those whom the often hapless FBI has been unwilling or unable to help. Foremost among them is Michael Gillespie, a cancer survivor and cat lover who got his start cracking ransomware while working at a Nerds on Call store in the town of Normal, Illinois. Other teammates include the brilliant, reclusive Fabian Wosar, a high school dropout from Germany who enjoys bantering with the attackers he foils, and his protégé, the British computer science prodigy Sarah White. Together, they have established themselves as the most effective force against an escalating global threat. This book follows them as they put their health, personal relationships, and financial security on the line to navigate the technological and moral challenges of combating digital hostage taking.

Urgent, uplifting, and entertaining, Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden's The Ransomware Hunting Team is a real-life technological thriller that illuminates a dangerous new era of cybercrime.

When it comes to cyber attacks, everyone's a potential victim. But you don't have to be helpless against these threats.

Hacked offers the knowledge and strategies you need to protect yourself and your business. In this book, cybersecurity expert Jessica Barker uncovers how hackers are weaponizing cutting-edge tactics and technologies to target individuals and organizations, before showing how you can safeguard yourself against any potential attacks and how to react if you do become a target.

Featuring expert commentary from world-leading cybersecurity experts and ethical hackers, this book uncovers the fascinating stories of the most insidious and notorious cyber attacks, including how the Mirai malware almost took down the internet and how a supply chain attack infiltrated the US government and other global institutions.

From social engineering and data theft to ransomware and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, there are numerous strategies that hackers use to target our finances and data. Uncover their secrets and learn how to safeguard your data with Hacked.

The bestselling account of a band of kids from New York who fought an electronic turf war that ranged across some of the nation's most powerful computer systems. An immensely fun and -- one cannot emphasize this enough -- accessible history of the first outlaws in cyberspace.--Glamour

From the award-winning author of Sandworm comes the propulsive story of a new breed of investigators who have cracked the Bitcoin blockchain, exposing once-anonymous realms of money, drugs, and violence. I love the book... It reads like a thriller... These stories are amazing. (Michael Lewis)

Over the last decade, a single innovation has massively fueled digital black markets: cryptocurrency. Crime lords inhabiting lawless corners of the internet have operated more freely--whether in drug dealing, money laundering, or human trafficking--than their analog counterparts could have ever dreamed of. By transacting not in dollars or pounds but in currencies with anonymous ledgers, overseen by no government, beholden to no bankers, these black marketeers have sought to rob law enforcement of their chief method of cracking down on illicit finance: following the money.

But what if the centerpiece of this dark economy held a secret, fatal flaw? What if their currency wasn't so cryptic after all? An investigator using the right mixture of technical wizardry, financial forensics, and old-fashioned persistence could uncover an entire world of wrongdoing.

Tracers in the Dark is a story of crime and pursuit unlike any other. With unprecedented access to the major players in federal law enforcement and private industry, veteran cybersecurity reporter Andy Greenberg tells an astonishing saga of criminal empires built and destroyed. He introduces an IRS agent with a defiant streak, a Bitcoin-tracing Danish entrepreneur, and a colorful ensemble of hardboiled agents and prosecutors as they delve deep into the crypto-underworld. The result is a thrilling, globe-spanning story of dirty cops, drug bazaars, trafficking rings, and the biggest takedown of an online narcotics market in the history of the Internet.

Utterly of our time, Tracers in the Dark is a cat-and-mouse story and a tale of a technological one-upmanship. Filled with canny maneuvering and shocking twists, it answers a provocative question: How would some of the world's most brazen criminals behave if they were sure they could never get caught?

'Rinsed is a triumph. If you want to understand how the chaotic world around us really works, read this book!' MILES JOHNSON, AUTHOR OF CHASING SHADOWS

'A riveting look at not only the nuts and bolts of cons and crimes but the techniques detectives use to stalk cyber criminals' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Gripping' THE ECONOMIST

There's an old saying: 'a rising tide lifts all boats'. It's normally couched in positive terms; that overall economic improvement will benefit everyone. In the case of hi-tech money laundering, however, it offers a dark vision of the future. The better these launderers become at their work, the more crime of all types will be enabled. It's time to understand where the water is rising, before it washes over us all.

Money laundering has been around for centuries. For as long as people have been willing to steal money, there's been an industry ready to wash it. But recent tech innovations have created vastly complex new systems for laundering that threaten to overwhelm authorities, destabilize economies and disrupt societies.

Rinsed is a relevatory investigation into the new army of innovative criminals using tech to launder money, and the consequences for all of us.

To counteract a cyber attacker, organizations need to learn to think like one. Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset explores the psychology of cyber warfare and how organizations can defend themselves against attacks.

This book provides a comprehensive look at the inner workings of cyber attackers in the digital age and presents a set of strategies that organizations can deploy to counteract them. With technological advancements in cybersecurity, attackers are increasingly falling back to social engineering and preying on people's vulnerabilities. This book examines different types of cyber attackers, explores their motivations, and examines the methods used. It also reviews key industry developments such as cybercrime as a service, brokers and syndicates, nation-sponsored actors, insider sabotage and the challenges faced by law enforcement in tracking and apprehending attackers.

Understand the Cyber Attacker Mindset offers expert, strategic guidance on how organizations can improve their cybersecurity operations in response, including enhancing security awareness training, educating employees to identify and resist manipulation, understanding the importance of cultural variances and how board-level decision-making can directly influence attacks. Written by a renowned cybersecurity leader, the book draws on interviews with ex-criminals and top experts in the field to share rich insights and a wide range of case studies profiling notable groups, such as Anonymous, Lapsus$, FIN7, Nigeria's Yahoo Boys, Sandworm, and the Lazarus Group. The human side of cybersecurity has never been so important.

When U.S. government employees Rachel and Andre discover that someone is using social media to spread false narratives about an upcoming election, they go to work. With the election nearly upon them, the two cybersleuths follow the trail of deepfakes synthetic media to a troll farm command center in Russia. But will they be able to stop the cyber assailants from causing chaos, confusion, and division before it's too late?

Commissioned by the CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) and inspired by real-world events, this lavishly illustrated, full-color graphic novel demonstrates how threat actors capitalize on political and social issues (especially around election cycles) to stealthily plant doubt in the minds of American voters and steer their opinion. A fascinating and eye-opening story for anyone who wants to know more about how false media influence our opinions.

Named a Favorite Book of 2022 by the Washington Independent Review of Books

The Winning Ticket is an inside look at one of the most complicated yet seat-of-your-pants financial investigations and prosecutions in recent history. Rob Sand, the youngest attorney in his office, was assigned a new case by his boss, who was days away from retirement. Inside the thin accordion binder Sand received was meager evidence that had been gathered over the course of two years by Iowa authorities regarding a suspicious lottery ticket. No one expected the case to go anywhere. No dead body, no shots fired, and no money paid out. Why should they care? There was no certainty that a crime had even been committed. But a mysterious Belizean trust had attempted to claim the $16 million ticket, then decided to forgo the money and maintain anonymity when the State of Iowa demanded to know who had purchased the ticket. Who values anonymity over that much money?

Both a story of small-town America and a true-crime saga about the largest lottery-rigging scheme in American history, The Winning Ticket follows the investigation all the way down the rabbit hole to uncover how Eddie Tipton was able to cheat the system to win jackpots over $16 million and go more than a decade without being caught--until Sand inherited the case.

Just as remarkable as the crime are the real-life characters met along the way: an honest fireworks salesman, a hoodwinked FBI agent, a crooked Texas lawman, a shady attorney representing a Belizean trust, and, yes, Bigfoot hunters. While some of the characters are nearly unbelievable, the everyday themes of integrity and hard work resonate throughout the saga. As the case builds toward a reckoning, The Winning Ticket demonstrates how a new day has dawned in prosecuting complex technological crimes.

When it comes to cyber attacks, everyone's a potential victim. But you don't have to be helpless against these threats.

Hacked offers the knowledge and strategies you need to protect yourself and your business. In this book, cybersecurity expert Jessica Barker uncovers how hackers are weaponizing cutting-edge tactics and technologies to target individuals and organizations, before showing how you can safeguard yourself against any potential attacks and how to react if you do become a target.

Featuring expert commentary from world-leading cybersecurity experts and ethical hackers, this book uncovers the fascinating stories of the most insidious and notorious cyber attacks, including how the Mirai malware almost took down the internet and how a supply chain attack infiltrated the US government and other global institutions.

From social engineering and data theft to ransomware and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, there are numerous strategies that hackers use to target our finances and data. Uncover their secrets and learn how to safeguard your data with Hacked.

A real-life technological thriller about a band of eccentric misfits taking on the biggest cybersecurity threats of our time.

What Michael Lewis did for baseball in Moneyball, Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden do brilliantly for the world of ransomware and hackers. Cinematic, big in scope, and meticulously reported, this book is impossible to put down. --Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author of In Harm's Way and Horse Soldiers

Scattered across the world, an elite team of code crackers is working tirelessly to thwart the defining cyber scourge of our time. You've probably never heard of them. But if you work for a school, a business, a hospital, or a municipal government, or simply cherish your digital data, you may be painfully familiar with the team's sworn enemy: ransomware. Again and again, an unlikely band of misfits, mostly self-taught and often struggling to make ends meet, have outwitted the underworld of hackers who lock computer networks and demand huge payments in return for the keys.

The Ransomware Hunting Team traces the adventures of these unassuming heroes and how they have used their skills to save millions of ransomware victims from paying billions of dollars to criminals. Working tirelessly from bedrooms and back offices, and refusing payment, they've rescued those whom the often hapless FBI has been unwilling or unable to help. Foremost among them is Michael Gillespie, a cancer survivor and cat lover who got his start cracking ransomware while working at a Nerds on Call store in the town of Normal, Illinois. Other teammates include the brilliant, reclusive Fabian Wosar, a high school dropout from Germany who enjoys bantering with the attackers he foils, and his protégé, the British computer science prodigy Sarah White. Together, they have established themselves as the most effective force against an escalating global threat. This book follows them as they put their health, personal relationships, and financial security on the line to navigate the technological and moral challenges of combating digital hostage taking.

Urgent, uplifting, and entertaining, Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden's The Ransomware Hunting Team is a real-life technological thriller that illuminates a dangerous new era of cybercrime.

The field of cybersecurity and cybercrime is a critical and rapidly evolving area of study. As our society becomes more and more reliant on technology, the risks of cybercrime increase. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the field, covering both cybercrime and cybersecurity.

The book starts by providing an overview of common threats and the risk management view of cybercrime. It explores the different types of threats, such as hacking, malware, phishing, and social engineering, and the various ways in which they can impact individuals, businesses, and society at large. It also introduces the concept of risk management and the different approaches that can be used to manage cyber risks, such as risk avoidance, mitigation, transfer, and acceptance.

From there, the book delves into the three key areas of cybersecurity: people, process, and technology. It explores the role of people in cybersecurity, including staffing, psychological profiling, role sensitivity, awareness, training, and education. It also examines the importance of process, including strategy and governance, policy, configuration management, and physical security. Finally, the book explores the critical role of technology, including system security, identification and authentication, authorisation and access control, and cryptography.

The book is designed to be accessible to a wide range of readers, from first-year students studying cybercrime and cybersecurity for the first time to seasoned professionals who need to better understand the purpose of cybersecurity programmes and controls. It is written in a clear and concise manner, with each chapter building on the previous one to provide a comprehensive overview of the field.

Overall, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in the field of cybersecurity and cybercrime. It provides a critical introduction to the key concepts, theories, and practices in the field, and is sure to be a valuable reference for years to come.

It was the perfect storm, a group of executives with the support of a Fortune 500 rival company plotting corporate espionage to destroy a leading insurance brokerage firm. A new U.S. Attorney out to cement his professional status. An FBI team needing a collar. A prosecutor trying to fix his tarnished reputation. Michael Segal CEO didn't see it coming-until the tsunami hit and he was drowned in a flood of greed, avarice, deception, self-interest, and an unbridled climb to power.

Conviction at Any Cost is a true story that reads like a Grisham novel and is a riveting account of how the federal government, frustrated and angry when Michael Segal refused to wear a wire to entrap people he didn't know or have dealings with, brought its full force against him to strip him of his company Near North National Group valued at $250M, his livelihood and the jobs of 1,000 employees. When Segal threatened to expose prosecutorial misconduct, the government doubled down and indicted him and his company on racketeering charges. Ultimately, when the misconduct was presented to the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Department of Justice, nothing was done, and no one was punished.

The evidence which resulted in an eight-year prison sentence was remarkable because:

There was no loss or victims

The federal case was based on an administrative state insurance statute providing no penalty if no loss

The prosecution engaged in misconduct that was ignored by the courts

Cybercrimes were protected and covered up

A defense lawyer for Segal was secretly tape-recorded

Conviction at Any Cost tells in detail how the prosecution, through the use of threats and other tactics took revenge upon Michael Segal because he had the courage to refuse to falsely implicate or entrap others. Meanwhile, the employees who had been nurtured and rewarded by Segal, after succumbing to greed and attempting to take over Segal's life's work, decided when they were thwarted, that only the destruction of the company would satisfy them. And waiting to help crush the company were Segal's long-time business rivals.

Researched and written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maurice Possley based on court records and hours of interviews with Michael Segal, Conviction at Any Cost is a compelling account of how justice can be perverted and abused in the absence of checks and balances. Segal is the subject, but anyone can be caught in a justice system gone awry.

*A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB MUST-READ BOOK FOR AUGUST 2023*

[An] exhilarating mix of memoir and true crime. . . -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The astonishing true story of the coal miner's daughter who took on the creators of the world's biggest financial fraud and helped the FBI to convict them

The OneCoin global cryptocurrency fraud stole tens of billions of dollars from ordinary people around the world. Unlike Madoff or Enron, who relieved the world's wealthiest investors of their cash, the exploiting genius of the OneCoin scam was targeting the poorest people in the world, the unbanked--those who struggled to live or get mainstream banking support. The arrogant assumption was that the downtrodden wouldn't have the means or will to fight back. They didn't reckon on Jen McAdam--a teenage mother, young grandmother, and modern-day Erin Brockovich.

Jen's father left her 15,000 when he died: his savings from living a careful life in a small Scottish mining town. Jen wanted a safe investment for this money to fund a better life for her family. She was digitally savvy, and she had heard of people making fortunes with Bitcoin. When she saw the promotional material for OneCoin--the founder Dr. Ruja Ignatova featured in major reputable media outlets; videos of celebrity events; gushing video testimonials of people, just like Jen, who had changed their lives--she was entranced.

Only months later, she realized she would never see her money again.

Jen was one of the only victims worldwide to fight back. Despite terrifying attempts to shut down both her and her growing support groups, she fought tirelessly for justice for herself, her family and friends, and the millions around the world who lost everything, in some cases even their lives. This is a true David-and-Goliath story to give us all a message of hope about the power we as individuals can have, even when things seem hopeless.

Two true tales of small-town murders

Unfriendly: How a social media feud led to a double homicide

When the bodies of Bill Payne and Billie-Jean Hayworth were discovered in their Mountain City, Tennessee home on January 30 2012, investigators initially assumed it was a drug deal gone awry. However, soon their attention was drawn to a vicious online feud that had been simmering in full view of the entire town of Mountain City for over a year.

What followed was an unbelievable case involving a CIA agent, a secret relationship, and an impressionable local man who had never been in a relationship. At the center of the chaos was the Potter family: Buddy, Barbara, and their daughter, Jenelle. Could something as simple as unfriending someone on Facebook really lead to a double homicide?

A Bluegrass Tragedy: The Wife Swap murders

The Stockdale Family was private and insular, the children homeschooled, their only outlet playing in the family Bluegrass band. The internet and television were banned, movies and radio programs vetted to ensure they adhered to the family's fundamentalist Christian values.

They kept to themselves on their farm in Ohio, until an unexpected call from the producers of reality TV series Wife Swap upended their world. Was it the scrutiny of a skeptical public that led to the tragic double homicide?

Mountain City, Tennessee and Bolivar, Ohio: just two small towns that harbored dark secrets... and murder