About this episode

Geoff White discusses the evolving landscape of ransomware attacks and the business-like mentality of cybercriminals.

In today’s episode, we welcome another ISF veteran: journalist Geoff White. The last time Geoff was a guest on the podcast, it was 2024 and he had just released a book about how the tech industry launders money for criminal organizations. Today, Geoff comes on to talk about the latest installment in his podcast series The Lazarus Heist – now known as Cyber Hack – in which he dives deep into ransomware attacks. Steve and Geoff discuss the changing nature of ransomware attacks, how AI is used, crypto and ransomware laundering, and the importance of businesses having a plan to deal with an attack when it inevitably comes. Key Takeaways: Ransomware attacks remain similar in strategy, but have become more industrialized in recent years. Crime groups utilizing ransomware view themselves as businesses. and view targets not as victims but as competitors. An immediate, outright criminalization of paying ransoms is the wrong path forward, but if done in phases it can be the best way to solve the issue of ransomware attacks. Tune in to hear more about: Geoff’s investigation into Conti, one of the world’s most notorious ransomware gangs ( 7:33 ) The impact of AI on ransomware attacks ( 13:52…

People in this episode

Host: Steve

Guest: Geoff White

Topics covered

• ransomware attacks
• AI in cybersecurity
• money laundering
• business competition
• cybersecurity planning

Keywords

• ransomware
• AI
• money laundering
• Conti
• cybersecurity
• business competition
• Cyber Hack

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Information Security Forum, Conti

Books & works: The Lazarus Heist, Cyber Hack

More episodes of ISF Podcast

• 348: Steve Durbin – When Governments Shift: Reimagining UK Cyber Strategy and Business Resilience · July 21, 2026 · 30 min
• 347: Alex Bovee – Identity in the Age of Agentic AI · June 30, 2026 · 23 min
• 346: James Wilkson - The Human Factor: Leadership, Risk and the AI Era · June 22, 2026 · 22 min
• 345: Stephanie Forbes - The $4.2 Trillion Problem: Why Boards Can't Afford to Ignore Supply Chain Fraud · June 16, 2026 · 28 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the ISF Podcast podcast page.