Episode 138: Magic Cat (Part 2)

Magic Cat (part 2) with investigative journalist Martin Gundersen

This is the second part of our series about our investigation into Darcula, a phishing-as-a-service operation targeting victims globally, and the phishing kit platform Magic Cat. Over a period of 1,5 years, mnemonic researchers and an international investigative reporting team from the Norwegian media agency NRK, together with French Le Monde and German BR, looked into the technology, operations and individuals connected to this scam network.

The findings offer a rare look behind the scenes of this global phishing-as-a-service operation utilising Magic Cat. The research unveils hundreds of thousands of victims spanning the globe, unique technical insight into the software enabling hundreds of criminal subscribers, and a glimpse into the flashy lifestyle of the operators.

In this episode, Robby talks with Martin Gundersen from NRK about how they worked on this investigation, and what happened when they traveled to Thailand to confront the people behind the scam network.

If you haven’t listened to Part 1 of this series yet, check out episode 137 to hear Robby’s interview with mnemonic's security researchers Erlend Leiknes and Harrison Sand about the findings from their technical investigation into Magic Cat.

mnemonic's technical blog about Magic Cat.

Inside the Scam Network at NRK.

The Hunt for Darcula at NRK.