Safe Mode Podcast

Pig butchering has become an all-too-common online con that costs victims millions of dollars annually. And there’s little remedy for a growing number of victims. But Erin West, a California prosecutor, has made it her mission to fight back against these scams and the people executing them. She talks with CyberScoop Editor-in-Chief Mike Farrell about the origin of pig butchering, how scammers dupe their victims and what tech companies can do to help prevent the schemes from proliferating. Elias Groll, CyberScoop Senior Editor, also joins the episode to talk about the week’s headlines, discussing the MOVEit breach, the Cl0p ransomware gang, surveillance reform in Congress and Chinese hacking.

You've probably noticed that hackers are changing the world. Everday, data breaches are putting you at risk. Privacy invading apps are chasing your attention. Spies are treating the online world as their playground. Safe Mode is your guide to the murky, often bizarre, always fascinating world of cyberspace. Every week we break down the most pressing issues in technology, provide you the knowledge and tools to stay ahead of the latest threats and take you behind the scenes of the biggest stories in cybersecurity. Our sources are the hackers poking at your systems, the technologists working at the cutting edge, and the researchers and policy makers trying to understand this strange world. Together, we'll help you navigate what's happening in the online world and maybe figure out how to make it a bit better. This is Safe Mode, your weekly guide to everything cybersecurity and digital privacy, brought to you by CyberScoop.