Darknet Diaries is in general a great podcast. I sometimes struggle when otherwise good podcasts do security stuff because it's too high level for me to be entertained. I think Jack does a good job of being accessible to n00bs and interesting to experts.
Note that if Visa/MasterCars were to force two-factor (or 3DS how they call it) the cardster business would be severely hampered, as one could not simply copy dumb credit card numbers around.
But they do not so, because the fraud cost is paid by merchants (fines, fraud buffer in fee %) and ultimately the consumers as higher prices. Fraud does not hurt Visa/MasterCard bottom line.
Were there not enough vacation destinations in Russia or something? I don't get why you would willingly travel internationally if the US wants you and your home country doesn't care.
International flight booking records are bordering on being a public record. Remember that when you fly around.
SITA and GDS providers are giving away flight data left and right — this is one of ways how US gets hold of people traveling to Cuba despite them flying through 3rd countries, and China books Uighurs who fly to Saudi Arabia or Turkey
For when some non-US national overflies US, or files a pre-flight form to US, many don't know that such forms are purely symbolic, US government already had hand on this data the moment the ticket was booked.
Few years ago Russia introduced a bill allowing officials and people with "special needs" (people under foreign sanctions) to get "legal fake passports" — apparently just for cases like that.
I haven't been to Russia much since I left in 2006, but even back then there was some kind of contention in between Kremlin's desire to crack down on fake passports as part of attack on dissidents, and the boheme wanting to access fake or blue/diplomatic passports (and accompanying immunity.)
I remember watching the talk about this- it was a lot more interesting when I realized that it was a recent event and not something from ten years ago.
FYI: The title is copied as-is from the article, but it doesn't do a very good job of selling the content.
Capitolhillseattle.com is a neighborhood blog, the 'Broadway Grill' is one of the diners in that neighborhood, and it was merely one of many businesses that got caught up in carding fraud. The scope of the article is much wider, shedding some light on credit card theft, dark markets for stolen cards, and the duel that goes on between the criminals and the authorities.
> Russian officials were not pleased. They accused the U.S. of “kidnapping” Seleznev in an attempt to trade him for whistleblower Edward Snowden, which the U.S. denied.
It strikes me as unsurprising that Russia would be willing to trade someone who was once a PR coup (but is now mostly irrelevant) for someone who is currently politically very connected. Snowden's asylum has always been on the sufferance of the Russian government.
In confess, I don't understand the question. I did not seek or choose to imply in any way, shape, form, or manner that Snowden is a burden on the Russian government. Indeed I have no reason to think he is.
Is it clearer if I say that Snowden's asylum was convenient for Russia, but they today derive no clear benefit from his presence and thus apparently tolerate him from lack of reason to disapprove?
Is it possible you and I might be operating under different definitions? I am using this one:
> absence of objection rather than genuine approval; toleration.
Of note is that this does not imply any suffering or burden. I understand that other people might personally choose to subscribe to different definitions of any given word.
As for the rest, I don't think it's at all difficult to believe the Russians would use people as pawns that way. Especially when someone the ruling autocracy likes (and has some obligation they care about to defend) is concerned.
