The Lazarus Heist

This BBC World Service production started as a deep investigation into North Korea’s state-sponsored hacking operations and became one of the most gripping podcast series about the DPRK ever made. Hosted by cybercrime journalist Geoff White and veteran Korea correspondent Jean Lee, the first two seasons trace the Lazarus Group -- Pyongyang’s elite hacking unit -- from the Sony Pictures attack through the Bangladesh Bank heist attempt to the biggest cryptocurrency theft in history. The show later expanded under the umbrella title Cyber Hack, with a third season covering Russian cybercrime, but the North Korea seasons are what earned its reputation. The storytelling is cinematic. BBC sound design wraps around interviews with former FBI agents, cryptocurrency investigators, and sources who were inside the rooms when these attacks unfolded. Each episode runs 30 to 68 minutes across about 35 total episodes, and the pacing is tight enough that you might find yourself sitting in a parked car to finish one. The central argument -- that North Korea has turned hacking into a revenue stream worth billions, funding its nuclear program with stolen crypto -- is laid out with the kind of evidence that actually changed how governments approach DPRK sanctions. The show holds a 4.7-star rating from nearly 1,600 reviewers. It is a completely different angle on North Korea than the usual geopolitical analysis, and it will permanently change how you think about the regime’s survival strategy.