From shadowy Bitcoin exchanges to Interpol’s most wanted, Alexander Vinnik was the alleged kingpin behind BTC-e, a $4bn crypto laundering empire. Learn more about him, and how he became a geopolitical pawn between the US, France, and Russia. Plus! Hear how concert-goers are being warned about a swathe of scams hitting stadiums and arenas around the world.

All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.

PLUS! Don't miss our featured interview with Cliff Crosland of Scanner.dev

Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.

Episode links:

• Russian National And Bitcoin Exchange Charged In 21-Count Indictment For Operating Alleged International Money Laundering Scheme And Allegedly Laundering Funds From Hack Of Mt. Gox - US Dept of Justice.
• BTC-e Operator Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy - US Dept of Justice.
• US releases Russian cybercriminal as part of exchange for teacher Marc Fogel - The Guardian.
• Lloyds Bank issues urgent warning over Taylor Swift ticket scams - Lloyds.
• Warning after more than 120k people queue for Black Sabbath Villa Park tickets as fans say 'scam' - Birmingham Live.
• ‘Don’t buy tickets for Beyoncé’ - Minister Gayton McKenzie warns South Africans of concert scam - Independent Online.
• Beyonce Cowboy Carter tour fake tickets scam: Ticketmaster warns fans - USA Today.
• Singapore ticket scam queen jailed for three years after conning 76 Taylor Swift fans of S$110,000 - Malaysia News. 
• Did Ozzy Osbourne really eat a bat? - Rock and Roll Garage.
• How to stop hiccups - Graham Cluley.
• The Telepathy Tapes podcast.
• Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)

Sponsored by:

• 1Password – Secure every app, device, and identity – even the unmanaged ones at 1password.com/smashing.
• Scanner.dev provides a new technology offering fast search and threat detections for security data in S3 helping teams reduce the total cost of ownership of their SIEM by up to 90%. Try the interactive playground at scanner.dev/demo
• Harmonic - Stop data leaks, not innovation. Zero-touch data protection for the GenAI era.

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.

Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!

FOLLOW US:

Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the Smashing Security subreddit, and visit our website for more episodes.

THANKS:

Theme tune: "Vinyl Memories" by Mikael Manvelyan.

Assorted sound effects: AudioBlocks.