Cyberattacks have played a significant role in the war in Ukraine. Officials in Washington and Kyiv have blamed Russian hackers for targeting satellite systems and using digital assaults to execute disinformation and psychological warfare campaigns. Victor Zhora, the deputy chairman of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, is actively involved in defending against those attacks and talks to Safe Mode about the evolution of cyberwar in Ukraine. CyberScoop reporter AJ Vicens also joins the show to talk about his reporting on the cybercrime underworld and hacker forums such as BreachForums.

Victor Zhora on the frontlines of digital war between Ukraine and Russia

In recent years, the persona known as LockbitSupp has emerged as a notorious figure in the cybercrime underground. The primary administrator of the LockBit ransomware, LockbitSupp has become fantastically wealthy operating the world’s most prolific ransomware. Last week, the FBI and a coalition of international law enforcement agencies unmasked LockbitSupp and indicted the man allegedly behind the persona — Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev — on charges related to his work running the highly popular ransomware service. FBI Deputy Assistant Director for Cyber Operations Brett Leatherman was one of the law enforcement officials involved in that operation, and he sits down with host Elias Groll to discuss the bureau’s work against LockBit and its broader efforts to combat cybercrime. CyberScoop reporter Tim Starks also joins the show to discuss Poland’s efforts to impose accountability for the abuse of spyware.

The FBI’s Brett Leatherman on LockBitSupp’s unmasking; a spyware reckoning in Poland

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