technology
Hosted by Group-IB · technology · EN-GB
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
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
27%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchTrue 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.
Recent episodes include "Defender: Leaving the Cyber Underworld Behind" (15 October 2026, 38 minutes), "The Wire: ShinyHunters - Hackers Hunting Hackers" (1 October 2026, 17 minutes), and "MuddyWater: Expanding an Espionage Operation" (30 September 2026, 43 minutes).
Masked Actors publishes roughly every two weeks, with episodes averaging 40 minutes across 20 episodes.
Booking probability for Masked Actors is 27%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Masked Actors requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Masked Actors's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for Masked Actors are IT Services & Software Development. Masked Actors has a technology audience.
Masked Actors is a technology podcast with 20 episodes published.
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
Episode #9
Send us Fan Mail The public often sees cybercrime through the lens of attacks, arrests and headlines. Far less visible are the online communities that sit behind them. For many people, cybercrime isn’t just about the...
Episode #8
Send us Fan Mail ShinyHunters has left an alleged trail stretching from university campuses, and major healthcare providers, to government agencies. It even turned on its peers, extorting and publicly humiliating Cl0P...
Episode #7
Send us Fan Mail Successful espionage usually relies on patience. Nation-state actors quietly infiltrate targets, maintain access for years, and gather intelligence without attracting attention. But one threat actor has...
Episode #6
Send us Fan Mail Most people experience fraud as a single event. A suspicious text message, a fake investment opportunity, or a phone call from someone pretending to be their bank. The reality is that modern fraud is an...
Episode #5
Send us Fan Mail For years, stronger authentication was seen as the answer to online fraud. As passwords became easier to steal, organisations turned to stronger forms of verification, from facial recognition and voice...
Episode #4
Send us Fan Mail Contactless payments have become such a routine part of everyday life that we rarely think twice about how they are secured. For decades, every contactless transaction has been built on the assumption...
Episode #3
Send us Fan Mail Threat researchers work deep in the digital underground, mapping adversaries, exposing tactics, and turning fragments of intelligence into protection that actively stops attacks. Despite the impact of...
Episode #2
Send us Fan Mail Can you recognise every employee in your organisation? Most companies cannot — and attackers know it. A routine IT request comes in from a senior leader locked out of their account. Everything checks...
Episode #1
Send us Fan Mail Cybercrime operates at a scale most people never see. A single incident can cost hundreds of millions of pounds, disrupt businesses overnight, or devastate individuals and families. What often follows...
Episode #10
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Episode #9
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Episode #8
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Episode #7
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Episode #6
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Episode #5
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Episode #4
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Episode #3
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Episode #2
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Episode #1
Send us Fan Mail 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...
Masked Actors
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Masked Actors — a true crime-inspired podcast from Group-IB that brings you face to face with the people orchestrating some of the most sophisticated cyberattacks on the planet. Join hosts...
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