Share

cover art for The hostage negotiators of the digital age - The Sunday Story

The Story

The hostage negotiators of the digital age - The Sunday Story

Cyber-attacks on some of Britain's biggest companies like Marks & Spencer have cost hundreds of millions of pounds. For Jaguar Land Rover, experts estimate the cost to the company and the economy ran to billions. But most of us know almost nothing about what happens behind the scenes in the hours after a hack. Who do you call? In a bank robbery, a negotiator armed with a megaphone might turn up. But what if the loot is bitcoin, and the hostages, data? 


This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory


Guest: James Ball, freelance writer, the Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Dave Creasey.

Clips: ITV News, CNBC.

Read more: Your company has been hacked. The clock is ticking. Here’s who to call.

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • Justice is done after a shocking wrongful conviction - The Saturday Story

    42:01|
    Yesterday afternoon in Manchester, a man was found guilty of a brutal rape for which an innocent person had been wrongly jailed for more than 17 years. We bring you a special update to our groundbreaking podcast series Seventeen Years - The Andrew Malkinson Story, which first highlighted this tragic miscarriage of justice.You can listen to the full series on The Times Investigates feed: https://pod.fo/e/3256f8Hosts: Will Roe & Emily Dugan, Sunday Times' Special correspondent.Producer: Will Roe. Clips: Greater Manchester Police. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comIf you, or someone you know, has been affected by the issues raised in this episode, the following organisations can help:Rape Crisis England & WalesNHS - Help after rape and sexual assaultCriminal Cases Review CommissionAppeal - Charity and law practice
  • LATEST: Can Keir Starmer survive the scandal over Mandelson and Epstein?

    16:13|
    The prime minister says he's "furious" over the latest twist in the Epstein scandal, amid revelations the child sex offender’s former friend Peter Mandelson was appointed British ambassador to the US despite failing security vetting. For months, ​​Keir Starmer insisted his ambassador was properly appointed. Today, he admitted this was not the case. So, what went wrong? And what does it mean for the future of Starmer’s government? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:  Ollie Cole, Times Radio newsroom reporterLeigh Turner, former Ambassador to Austria and UkraineHost: Carolyn QuinnProducers: Sandra Mitchell, Sofia JohansonWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Keir Starmer ‘furious’ over Peter Mandelson vetting failurePhoto: Getty Images.
  •  Is the Iran war about to upend life in Britain?

    32:40|
    The economic ripples caused by the Iran war are beginning to have an impact across the globe, from fuel rationing across South-East Asia, to fuel protests in Ireland. The IMF’s recent report on the global economy makes for grim reading – and the UK comes out as one of the worst affected of the G7. So could food and fuel shortages be coming to the UK? And how will the government try to mitigate the worst effects?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:Rob Doran, director of Black Dog Crisis Management.Jack Barnett, economics correspondent, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Harry Stott, Micaela Arneson.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Britain preparing for food shortages as Iran war bites UK economy faces hardest hit from Iran war of G7, says IMFFurther listening: Trump's ceasefire with Iran - what’s in it and what nextClips: BBC, ABC NEWS (Australia), RTE, Sky News.Photo: Getty Images.
  • How the Iran war could help China take Taiwan

    31:04|
    Behind the scenes of Iran’s war, China’s been forging alliances, stockpiling oil and building resilience in the form of renewable energy. So how could all of this help it attack Taiwan? When might it happen? And can anyone stop them?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Cindy Yu, columnist and contributing editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Olivia Case.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Iran war latest: Ceasefire with US ‘to be extended by two weeks’Further listening: The Pope v TrumpClips: Fox, Bloomberg, Times of India, Hoover Institution.Photo: Getty Images.
  • The Pope v Trump

    31:13|
    Over the weekend, Donald Trump posted an image of himself as a Jesus Christ like figure, which was subsequently deleted. It came after the President and the Pope exchanged a war of words over the conflict in Iran. What’s behind this latest spat, and how could it affect Trump’s standing among American’s Christians?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests: Kaya Burgess, science and religious affairs correspondent, The Times, and Christopher Hale, Democratic operative and author of Letters from Leo substack.Host: Manveen Rana.Producers: Edward Drummond.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Trump’s row with Pope Leo could cost him dearly among Catholic votersClips: Times Radio, Fox News, Vatican News, 9News, BBC, Forbes, USA Today, CBS News. Photo: Getty Images.
  • Did Trump lose Viktor Orban his election?

    32:48|
    Viktor Orban, the far-right prime minister of Hungary who led the country for 16 years, was ousted in a landslide electoral defeat on Sunday. He lost to his former ally turned critic, Péter Magyar, despite a strong show of support from the Trump administration. So what does Orban’s defeat mean for Trump? And for the far-right in Europe? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Micaela Arneson, Julia Webster.  We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: Why Peter Magyar’s victory is a warning to TrumpFurther listening: The election that could change HungaryClips: Al Jazeera, APT News, CSPAN, Fox, Associated Press, United 24 Media, The White House via YouTube.Photo: Getty Images.
  • INVESTIGATION: Meet the smuggling kingpins behind the deadly Channel crossings

    27:21|
    The city of Ranya– a small town in Northern Iraq– is more than 2,500 miles from Calais and Dunkirk. But it has a near monopoly on the people smuggling gangs that traffic migrants across the English Channel. The Times visited Ranya to meet the kingpins and ask: how did one village become responsible for Britain’s small boats crisis?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Shayma Bakht, reporter, The Times. Host: Luke Jones. Producer: Micaela Arneson.We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: I met the smuggling kingpins behind the deadly Channel crossingsFurther listening: ‘Repugnant’ or necessary? The new asylum rulesClips: Getty Images, DRM News. Photo: Times Media Ltd.
  • London Falling Part 2: The Truth - The Sunday Story

    26:26|
    In this special two part podcast, Whitehall editor at The Sunday Times, Gabriel Pogrund, is joined by the preeminent investigative journalist and author Patrick Radden Keefe.On a cold November night in 2019, 19 year old Zac Brettler jumped to his death from the balcony of a luxury London apartment. Police concluded it was suicide, however, under Radden Keefe's forensic microscope together with Gabriel's own Sunday Times investigation, serious questions are raised about what really happened that night, and whether it was suicide after all. It's a tale rooted in London's criminal underground, and now the subject of Radden Keefe's latest book, London Falling.In episode 2: What really happened on the night Zac died? Gabriel gets hold of some crucial new evidence which calls into question the Met Police's investigation.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryHost: Gabriel Pogrund - Whitehall editor at The Sunday Times.Guest: Patrick Radden Keefe.Producer: Dave Creasey.Executive Producer: Kate FordWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: The dead teenager, the lying suspect and the black box that proves itPhoto: The Times, design by Cecilia Tombesi.Click here to buy London Falling at the times bookshop.
  • London Falling Part 1:  The Fall - The Saturday Story

    34:56|
    In this special two part podcast, Whitehall editor at The Sunday Times, Gabriel Pogrund, is joined by the preeminent investigative journalist and author Patrick Radden Keefe.On a cold November night in 2019, 19 year old Zac Brettler jumped to his death from the balcony of a luxury London apartment. Police concluded it was suicide, however, under Radden Keefe's forensic microscope together with Gabriel's own Sunday Times investigation, serious questions are raised about what really happened that night, and whether it was suicide after all. It's a tale rooted in London's criminal underground, and now the subject of Radden Keefe's latest book, London Falling.In this episode we hear about how a young man, born into a wealthy family, become embroiled with a notorious London gangster.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryHost: Gabriel Pogrund - Whitehall editor at The Sunday TimesGuest: Patrick Radden KeefeProducer: Dave Creasey.Executive Producer: Kate FordWe want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.comRead more: The dead teenager, the lying suspect and the black box that proves itPhoto: The Times, design by Cecilia Tombesi.Click here to buy London Falling at the times bookshop.