CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today MIT
Technology Review and ProPublica announce the launch of a
new five-part podcast series looking at the money, people, and
technology behind the explosion of ransomware that is delivering
hundreds of millions of dollars to cybercriminals around the
world.
"The Extortion Economy", which draws on the ProPublica
investigation of the same name, explores the inner workings of a
massive criminal industry that has taken hospitals, city
governments, schools, and even an oil pipeline hostage. But while
the tools of the ransomware trade may be new, the principles of
extortion that underpin it go back centuries. Host Meg Marco takes listeners on a journey to the
front lines of the ransomware fight, where she meets the people
affected as well as those who are fighting back.
Episode 1: The Problem. A new-age iteration of the old-age
extortion problem. A ransomware vigilante, a piracy (as in actual
boats) expert, a school administrator, and a kidnapping victim
share their experiences.
Episode 2: The Bad Actors. Look into a criminal world where the
stakes are high and the methods increasingly businesslike … and
meet the people who interact with the ransomware hackers.
Episode 3: All Cats, No Mice. After the Colonial Pipeline
payment, the FBI followed the money, and cybersecurity researchers
followed the ransomware group. We followed both.
Episode 4: Follow the Money. We look at the reasons ransomware
is so hard to combat and ask hard questions about who is really
helping the victims.
Episode 5: File Not Found. The problem of ransomware has many
causes but no clear solution. What's coming next?
The Extortion Economy is available through Apple
Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Host Meg Marco is the Editor in
Chief of Observer leading all editorial operations for the
Observer brand. Before joining Observer Media, Meg held
senior editorial positions at ProPublica, The Wall Street
Journal and Axios. At ProPublica her team's work
was honored with the 2021 National Magazine Award for Social Media,
and she was part of the team of editors whose work was a finalist
for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. She is also
formerly the editor and head of product of Consumerist, a
Gawker Media publication that was later acquired by Consumer
Reports. During her tenure, Consumerist produced deeply
reported coverage of topics such as fraud, surprise medical bills,
for-profit colleges, telecom policy, consumer privacy, and product
safety. She is the author of Field Guide to the Apocalypse,
a satirical guide to surviving the end of the world published by
Simon & Schuster in 2005, well in advance of the actual end
times.
ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom
that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. With
a team of more than 100 dedicated journalists, ProPublica covers a
range of topics, focusing on stories with the potential to spur
real-world impact. Its reporting has contributed to the passage of
new laws; reversals of harmful policies and practices; and
accountability for leaders at local, state and national levels.
Since it began publishing in 2008, ProPublica has received six
Pulitzer Prizes, five Peabody Awards, four Emmy Awards and nine
George Polk Awards, among others.
About MIT Technology Review
Founded at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in 1899, MIT Technology Review is a
world-renowned, independent media company whose insight, analysis,
and interviews explain the newest technologies and their
commercial, social, and political impacts. MIT Technology Review
derives its authority from its relationship to the world's foremost
technology institution and from its editors' deep technical
knowledge, capacity to see technologies in their broadest context,
and unequaled access to leading innovators and researchers. MIT
Technology Review's mission is to bring about better-informed and
more conscious decisions about technology through authoritative,
influential, and trustworthy journalism. Subscribe. Listen. Attend.
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Media Contact:
MIT Technology Review
press@technologyreview.com
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SOURCE MIT Technology Review