Crossing The Firewall

This week's episode of Crossing The Firewall, we discuss Artificial Intelligence (AI), Government policy, and regulations. Can we regulate our way to a safe AI environment, or has the metaphorical train left the station and we are simply on the ride?Our guest Dr. Johannes Bauer is a Professor in the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University, and Quello Chair for Media and Information Policy. Dr. Bauer's expertise is in the digital economy, focusing on harnessing the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICTs) while avoiding their downsides. In addition to his role at MSU, Dr. Bauer has also served as Chief Economist in the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC.----Learn more about Dr. Bauer: https://comartsci.msu.edu/our-people/johannes-m-bauerInterested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Join us for this phishing adventure with Michael Joyce, Executive Director of the Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership and host of the popular Cybercrimeology podcast! We discuss Phishing scams, the ethics of conducting cybercrime research, and what it takes for us to protect ourselves from scams that are becoming more sophisticated. Listen to the Cybercrimeology Podcast here: https://cybercrimeology.com/----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Back in May 2025, we recorded a podcast with Dr. Roberta Liggett O'Malley addressing the recent spike in sextortion cases across the United States. Unfortunately, the audio and video files were lost through some mysterious circumstances (we blame our editor). However, the files have been uncovered and we can now publish the episode almost a year to the date of the original recording!Dr. Liggett O'Malley is an Assistant Professor in Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida. She is an expert in sextortion and cybercrime, quickly earning a strong reputation in the field as a leading researcher. She is also an alum of the MSU School of Criminal Justice's Doctoral Program. ----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

This week we meet with Dr. Russell Brewer, a Professor in the School of Society and Culture at Adelaide University. Dr. Brewer is an expert on the human dimensions of cybercrime and how AI can help identify perpetrators of crime. One of Dr. Brewer's latest projects is developing a stack of AI tools that can help investigators combat CSAM. ----Learn more about Dr. Brewer: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/russell.brewer----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

This week's episode of Crossing The Firewall features special guest Rebecca Taylor, a Threat Intelligence Knowledge Manager at Sophos. Rebecca discusses how she got into a career in cybercrime and cybersecurity with a degree in English and how the field has evolved over the years. Rebecca is also a published author and podcast host with Amelia Hewitt. Follow their podcast "The Cyber Agony Aunt" on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5I1rC0bNVBjqwYaqsA6fxQ----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Can hackers use their skills for good? It depends on who you ask. However, Ethical Hackers are utilized by companies and governments to find weaknesses in their systems so they can increase their security. These hackers have varying perspectives on their roles, other hackers, and even what the term "hacker" means. We are joined by special guest Dr. Marleen Weulen Kranenbarg, an Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam. Dr. Weulen Kranenbarg studies ethical hacking and ethical hackers working to understand what drives them and how hacking behaviors develop.----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

This week, we are joined by Dr. Suleman Lazarus, a Visiting Scholar at the Mannheim Centre for Criminology at the London School of Economics and Political Science, to discuss global perspectives on cybercrime. Dr. Lazarus conducts groundbreaking and interesting research on cybercrime, working to understand not only the crime being committed but the perpetrators and victims alike.----Learn more about Dr. Lazarus: https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/suleman-lazarus ----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

We are excited to have our first return guest on Crossing The Firewall, Dr. Kevin Steinmetz! Join us this week as we discuss cybercrime in video games. From depictions of cybercrime in video games to actual cybercrimes being carried out through online video games. What are our favorite video games? What was the first video game to depict hacking? How do we protect ourselves and our children from cyber criminals online? We discuss it all in this episode of Crossing The Firewall! ----Learn more about Dr. Kevin Steinmetz: https://www.k-state.edu/sasw/criminology/about/faculty/steinmetz.html----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Happy New Year everyone! To kick of 2026, we decided to record a fun episode discussing our favorite movies featuring various types of cybercrime. We are joined by special guest Dr. Adam Bossler, a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Bossler's research focuses on applying traditional criminological theories to various forms of cybercrime offending and victimization and the law enforcement response to cybercrime.----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Hacktivism: when individuals or groups utilize cyberattacks to promote political or social causes. Is it a justified use of hacking skills or just another example of cybercrime?The answer to that question may depend on who you ask, but our guest this week is Dr. Vasileios Karagiannopoulos (an expert in cybercrime and hacktivism) who will discuss motives, methods, and the rise of hacktivism.Dr. Karagiannopoulos is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Portsmouth. He is also the Co-Director of the Cybercrime and Economic Crime Research Centre.---Learn more about Dr. Karagiannopoulos: https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/structure-and-governance/our-people/our-staff/vasileios-karagiannopoulos ----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Dr. Jesse Cale joins us for this episode of Crossing The Firewall to discuss sexual offending, gaming, and the dark web. Offenders are finding a variety of ways to target potential victims, ranging from utilizing the dark web to even targeting individuals on Roblox. ----Dr. Jesse Cale is an Associate Professor of Criminology at Griffith University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice in Queensland, Australia.Learn more about Dr. Jesse Cale: https://experts.griffith.edu.au/2924-jesse-cale----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

This week's guest, Luuk Bekkers, discusses Money Mules and how they relate to cybercrime. No, they are not literal mules...the entire concept is way more interesting than that. Learn how Money Mules are used in fraud, money laundering, and whether or not Artificial Intelligence (AI) can actually allow this industry to scale or if AI can actually hinder its growth. All of this week's episode of Crossing The Firewall.----Learn more about Luuk Bekkers: https://www.thuas.com/research/research-groups/team-cybercrime-cybersecurity----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

In this episode of Crossing the Firewall, we are joined by special guest Dr. Jack Whittaker to discuss non-delivery fraud. Dr. Whittaker discusses his research findings surrounding Pet Scams. Fraudsters are actually having fake websites created and are marketing themselves as Dog Breeders to lure potential customers. Once a down payment is placed, the victims become emotionally attached to the idea of their future pet. The problem is that the pet never actually existed. Dr. Whittaker discusses his interactions with these fraudsters and what he learned about how money, culture, black magic, social status, and geographic borders all play an important role in these scams. ----Dr. Jack Whittaker is a lecturer at the University of Surrey. Learn more: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/people/jack-whittaker-0 ----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

You arrive to your desk after a tiring commute where at least three people cut you off on the freeway and the coffee shop got your order wrong (again). That's okay, though, you made it in and are ready to start your day. The computer boots up, then flashes to a screen you haven't seen before. Now a message shows up on screen, "Access Denied." Panicked, you contact your IT Department. Your organization is the victim of a ransomware attack. What do you do? Dr. David Decary-Hetu, Professor at the School of Criminology at the University of Montreal and an expert in ransomware attacks, breaks down how these attacks happen on organizations and what the aftermath is. Ransomware is not new. However, in the age of Cryptocurrencies and Artificial Intelligence, Ransomware-As-A-Service is emerging. This is causing organizations, researchers, and law enforcement to adapt and find new ways to combat this cybercrime. ----Dr. Decary-Hetu is a Professor at the School of Criminology at the University of Montreal whose research focuses on criminal networks, criminal markets, cybercrime, and financial data theft.Dr. Decary-Hetu is also the Chair of the ASC Division of Cybercrime. Learn more: https://www.cicc-iccc.org/en/people/regular_researchers/david_decary_hetu ASC Division of Cybercrime: https://ascdivisionofcybercrime.org/----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Children are interacting with digital devices younger than ever before. While there may be some benefits related to learning on digital devices, the risk of children being victimized online continues to rise. Predatory behavior targeted at children online is a parent's worst nightmare. How do we protect children from online predators? How do we stop these predators from engaging with children in the first place? What can we do to stop this compared to what law enforcement can do? Our guest this week, Dr. Kate Seigfried-Spellar (Professor in the MSU School of Criminal Justice) answers these questions based on her experience as a researcher and a practitioner. ----Dr. Seigfried-Spellar is a Professor in the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice. Her research interests and methods combine behavioral sciences, social sciences, artificial intelligence, biometrics, natural language processing, and digital forensics.Learn more: https://cj.msu.edu/directory/seigfriedspellar-kate.html----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn and Facebook. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas.

Concern about data privacy, security, and victimhood vary from person to person. How much we are willing to do to avoid being a victim of cybercrime also varies. Why?The Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) describes this phenomenon well and provides some answers about why or why not people will protect themselves from a particular threat.This week's guest Dr. George Burruss (Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida) discusses how PMT can help researchers and practitioners understand data protection risks. ---Learn more about Dr. George Burruss: https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/criminology/faculty-staff/g-burruss.aspx---Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

This week's episode of Crossing the Firewall examines the intersection of community policing, evidence-based policing, and cybercrime. With the internet being global, an international collaborative effort is required to combat the evolution of cybercrime.Michael Newman is a Detective Chief Inspector with over 30 years policing experience. Mike is currently an Intelligence Operations Manager committed to working with police agencies across the globe to identify and investigate cybercrime.Learn more about the Michael and the Global Consortium Group: https://www.globalconsortiumgroup.com/----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

This special episode of Crossing The Firewall features not one, not two, but four guests! Rutger and Jin return for their second episode, while Thomas and Cassandra join our hosts for their first appearance on the podcast.In this episode, the team discusses Nation State Cyberattacks, Age Verification Laws, and parenting in the internet age. You wont want to miss this wide ranging discussion!----Meet our guests!Rutger Leukfeldt is a Professor with Leiden University - https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/rutger-leukfeldt#tab-1Jin Lee is an alum of the MSU School of Criminal Justice and an Assistant Professor at George Mason University. - https://cls.gmu.edu/people/jlee331 Thomas Dearden is an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech - https://liberalarts.vt.edu/departments-and-schools/department-of-sociology/faculty/thomas-dearden.htmlCassandra Cross is a Professor at the Queensland University of Technology - https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/ca.cross----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on Facebook and LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Dr. Mark Button is a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Portsmouth. Dr. Button is also the Director of the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime, which focuses on research, teaching and knowledge services in counter fraud and related issues.Learn more about Dr. Button: https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/structure-and-governance/our-people/our-staff/mark-buttonLearn more about the Centre: https://www.port.ac.uk/research/research-groups-and-centres/centre-for-cybercrime-and-economic-crime ----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn and Facebook. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

The phrase "Dark Web" conjures images of shady websites, terrifying realities, and a criminal underground hidden away from the rest of the world. In some instances, this may be true. However, in most instances, the "Dark Web" is far from what Hollywood portrays. For example: can you really hire a hitman on the Dark Web? Probably not...those sites tend to be run by scammers or law enforcement agencies. On the other hand: Can you buy drugs on the Dark Web? Certainly...but you can also buy them on regular social media sites, too. So, why do some individuals choose to sell through the dark web? How do these markets even form? How are these "businesses" run? Why do these websites look so professional, almost like an Amazon storefront? Dr. Rasmus Munksgaard joins us for this episode of Crossing The Firewall to answer all of your burning questions related to illicit markets on the Dark Web.----Dr. Rasmus Munksgaard is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology & Social Work at Aalborg University in Denmark. Dr. Munksgaard research focuses on illicit markets both online and offline.Learn more about Dr. Rasmus Munksgaard: https://vbn.aau.dk/en/persons/ramuan ----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Dr. Lisa Sugiura is an Associate Professor at the University of Portsmouth's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Dr. Sugiura's research expertise focuses on online gender-based violence and technology-facilitated sexual violence, specifically as it relates to women and girls. In this episode of Crossing the Firewall, Dr. Sugiura discusses the Incel subculture online and how it impacts relationships among the genders and the overlaps between the digital and physical worlds.----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn.Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

The key to any good magic trick isn't the prop, it is the deception. To trick the audience into believing what they see and ignore what they don't. Much is the same with hacking, cybercrime...and concerningly cyber terror.Dr. Max Kilger joins the hosts of Crossing The Firewall to discuss how the magic and allure of hacking created the Hacker Community and how that is evolved - and in many ways lost its magic - into cybercrime.As the hacker community evolved into the cybercrime community overtime, something that the Crossing The Firewall hosts blame on the influx of money into the hacking community, and what the cybercrime community may be evolving into next. Dr. Max Kilger: https://business.utsa.edu/faculty/profiles/kilger-max.html----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Cybercrime continues to rapidly evolve, with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts racing to stay one step ahead of the latest emerging threats. Business owners and municipality managers often find themselves vulnerable to cyber attacks and are unsure of how best to protect their organizations. Oftentimes, budget constraints, lack of knowledge and training, and staffing limitations mean that cybercrime prevention rank low on the priority level for organizational leadership. None of them want to be victims of a cyber attack, but running an organization takes a lot of time and effort, leaving little time to think of these potential risks. Dr. Tom Hyslip is former law enforcement and an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida. In this episode, Dr. Hyslip discusses how he got involved in cybercrime prevention and how he now uses his experience in law enforcement to teach students, organizational leaders, and the community on how to protect themselves from becoming the next victim of a cyber attack. ----Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.eduAdvance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation----Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

What does dressing like a janitor, carrying a ladder into a movie theater, and cybercrime all have in common? We can be easily deceived and persuaded into believing just about anything with relative ease.This phenomenon is called Social Engineering. Social Engineering is the use of deception and persuasion to convince individuals to give up information or be used to gain access to areas not generally available to the public.Some instances of Social Engineering may be harmless. You have likely seen the videos on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok of pranksters carrying a ladder into a movie theater and no one questions them about where they are going or what they are doing. This works because when we see someone with a ladder, we assume they know what they are doing and are going to fix an issue.When we receive an email that we believe is from our boss asking us to move money into a different account or sign certain documents, we may do so without asking any questions. After all, it is our boss. However, some cybercriminals are using Social Engineering to their advantage. Posing as someone of authority and gaining access to private data. In this episode of Crossing the Firewall, Dr. Kevin Steinmetz joins us to discuss Social Engineering and how we can prevent ourselves from falling victim. ---Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

You're playing Call of Duty mobile, or maybe even Fortnite. You are crushing it, definitely the best you have played in a while...and then the dreaded happens...your internet starts lagging. Game over.Nothing is more frustrating than your game lagging, right Think again. In this episode of Crossing the Firewall, we speak with Dr. Asier Moneva to explore the murky waters where online gaming and cybercrime meet.From DDoS attacks, "Booting," and beyond. We discuss how online gaming has become fertile grounds for digital mischief - and sometimes criminal careers.Whether you're a gamer yourself, a parent, law enforcement, or are just curious about the dark side of the internet, this episode is for you. ---Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

How do we teach cybersecurity practitioners? How do we define cybersecurity education? We dive deep into why cybersecurity isn't just technical—it’s cultural, and why building hackers means building communities. From chaotic summer camps and Discord-powered learning hubs to the dangers of Cocomelon and algorithmic media, this episode tackles how education must evolve to meet a digital world that’s moving fast. Our guest, Dr. Nathan Fisk, is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida and Community and Outreach Liaison for Cyber Florida.Whether you're a parent, educator, student, or just a curious mind—this one’s for you. Hit play, embrace the chaos, and let’s reimagine what cybersecurity education should look like.

You click the link in the email you received. It seems legit - from a former co-worker - you're just going to sign the documents and then get back to your day. Your computer shuts down. You can't click on the pop-up that is now covering your entire screen. It says that you have to pay $1,000 to unlock your computer, only payable in Bitcoin. You have until the end of the week. You realize you fell victim to a ransomware attack. Who would do this? Why would someone do this?You're not alone in asking why. It is one of the fundamental question of criminologists and cybercrime researchers. In this episode of Crossing the Firewall, we get inside the mind of hackers and cybercriminals with Dr. Rutger Leukfeldt. As one of the leading cybercrime researchers in the world, Rutger regularly works with the public to help us understand the motivations of hackers and how to protect ourselves from potential attacks. Dr. Leukfeldt is a Professor at the Hague University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands). His research primarily focuses on the human element of cybercrime, specifically the motivations and connections of hackers. Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Identity Theft isn't just a movie with Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, it is a real issue people face every day...often with much less comedic and sentimental outcomes. Cybercriminals are always seeking new ways to gather enough personal information about you to steal your identity. Motivations vary, but it often involves financial gain. So, how do we combat this crime? How do we best protect ourselves? What are some things we are doing that make us easy targets? What can law enforcement do when we fall victim?We sat down with Dr. Jin Lee, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University. Dr. Lee's research focuses on a range of topics within cybercrime and cybersecurity, including law enforcement competencies and perceptions of online crime; computer hacking and the role of the Internet in facilitating criminal and deviant behaviors; online illicit market activities; ideologically motivated cyberattacks; and online interpersonal violence offending and victimization.The Crossing the Firewall podcast is hosted and produced by the Michigan State University Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training. You can follow the Crossing the Firewall podcast on Instagram and Bluesky. The Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training can be found on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Dr. Karen Holt is an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University and an expert in sexual deviance and how it relates to digital mediums.Sextortion (the threat of sharing sexually explicit material of a victim unless money or other products are provided) is an increasing threat to people of all ages. Law enforcement is attempting to respond to this increased threat, but also acknowledge that they need more resources and training to successfully do so. Dr. Karen Holt joins our hosts for a discussion on Sextortion and Revenge Porn. In this episode, Dr. Holt shares ways that cyber-criminals are targeting potential victims and what we can do to protect ourselves from this increasing threat. The team also discusses what law enforcement officers need to know to help combat these crimes. The Crossing the Firewall podcast is hosted and produced by the Michigan State University Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training.