In this engaging conversation, Joseph Cox, co-founder of 404 Media and author of "Dark Wire," shares insights on the FBI's audacious venture into the smartphone market with the startup ANOM. He discusses the evolution of secure messaging platforms from BlackBerry to Signal and their relevance to criminal activities. Joseph reveals the complexities of law enforcement's balancing act between technology and privacy, including the challenges of infiltrating encrypted communication networks. His captivating stories highlight the intersection of tech innovation and crime.
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Early Criminal Smartphone Use
Criminals initially favored BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for its perceived security.
Authorities, however, began intercepting BBM messages, leading criminals to create customized, secure BlackBerrys.
insights INSIGHT
Phantom Secure's Strategy
Phantom Secure added encrypted email to modified BlackBerrys and used resellers who knew the criminals.
This built trust and allowed for accountability, unlike mainstream tech companies.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Phantom Secure's Downfall
The FBI targeted Phantom Secure by flipping a distributor and getting close to the CEO, Vincent Ramos.
Ramos made incriminating statements but didn't provide a backdoor, leading to his arrest and Phantom Secure's shutdown.
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The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever
Joseph Cox
Dark Wire recounts the story of Anom, a secure communications app secretly run by the FBI, which allowed law enforcement to monitor tens of thousands of criminals worldwide, including members of drug cartels, the mafia, and other organized crime groups. The book reveals the intricate details of this global sting operation, highlighting the technological and ethical complexities involved. It follows the agents and criminals as they navigate this high-stakes game, ultimately leading to a massive international crackdown on criminal activities.
Today, I’m talking with Joseph Cox, one of the best cybersecurity reporters around and a co-founder of the new media site 404 Media. Joseph has a new book coming out in June called Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s basically a caper, but with the FBI running a phone network. For real.
Joseph walks us through the fascinating world of underground criminal phone networks, and how secure messaging, a tech product beloved by drug traffickers, evolved from the days of BlackBerry Messenger to Signal. Along the way, the FBI got involved with its very own startup, ANOM, as part of one of the most effective trojan horse operations in the history of cybersecurity. Joseph’s book is a great read, but it also touches on a lot of things we talk about a lot here on Decoder. So this conversation was a fun one.
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