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PODCAST

Crossing The Firewall

MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training

The Crossing the Firewall podcast is a bi-weekly cybercrime podcast hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher and sponsored by the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training. Each episode is a deep dive into one of the many facets of cybercrime and features a unique researcher or practitioner in the field.

true crime

All Episodes

01:06:33

Internet Sex Crimes, Gaming & The Dark Web

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/12/10

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:

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00:47:05

Money Mules & Cybercrime - Ep. 18

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/11/26

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:

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00:58:11

Pet Scams, Magic & Geographic Borders - Dr. Jack...

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/11/12

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

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00:45:42

Ransomware, Crypto & AI - Ep. 16

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/10/29

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,

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00:40:12

Policing & Preventing Online Crimes Against Children

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/10/15

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

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00:56:05

Human & Robot Factors in Data Protection - Dr. George...

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/10/01

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

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00:36:23

Policing Cybercrime: An International Effort -...

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/09/11

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

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01:18:38

The Cybercrime Power Hour

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/08/27

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 -

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00:57:50

Fraud In The Age of AI - Dr. Mark Button

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/08/14

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:

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00:57:04

Illicit Markets, Drug Money & The Dark Web - Dr....

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/07/30

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

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01:03:16

The Incel Effect - Dr. Lisa Sugiura

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/07/17

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

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00:46:56

The Magic & Allure of Hacking - Dr. Max Kilger

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/07/02

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

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01:00:22

Protect Your Business From Cyber Attacks - Dr. Tom...

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/06/18

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

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00:51:31

Persuasion, Deception & Data Security - Dr. Kevin...

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/06/05

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

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00:45:30

The Dark Side of Online Gaming - Dr. Asier Moneva

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/05/14

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

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00:53:54

From Classroom to Crisis: Educating Cybersecurity -...

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/05/01

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

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00:44:58

Inside the Hacker Mind - Dr. Rutger Leukfeldt

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/04/16

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

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00:58:27

Protect Your Online Identity - Dr. Jin Lee

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/03/26

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

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00:49:14

Sextortion & Revenge Porn - Dr. Karen Holt

Crossing The Firewall ·

2025/03/07

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

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19 results

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