Episode
17 August 2021 Official episode · Official transcript
advanced persistent threat
The episode documents surveillance and social-engineering operations attributed to Black Cube, including targeting journalists and Citizen Lab researcher John Scott-Railton. It also discusses suspected links to NSO Group-related investigations and covert location-tracking methods.
Topics: Phone-based geolocation tracking triggered by target replies, Social engineering and false-pretext operations, Covert audio and video recording, Counter-surveillance and surveillance detection, Fabricated digital identities and companies, Operational compartmentalization, Targeting journalists, researchers, and lawyers, Spyware investigations involving NSO Group
Links published on the Darknet Diaries episode page. Not LLM output.
Qualified statements from this episode, not graph facts.
Igor ASSOCIATED_WITH Black Cube
Igor says he and his friend worked as subcontractors for Black Cube, although he initially did not know the client was Black Cube.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Igor EP 99 Details
“We were working for Black Cube which is an Israeli intelligence company.”
Roman Khaykin ASSOCIATED_WITH Black Cube
Roman Khaykin was contracted by Black Cube and managed the New York surveillance work.
Explicit Confidence 96% · Jack Rhysider EP 99 Details
“it was this Khaykin guy who was being contracted by Black Cube”
Black Cube USES compartmentalization
Igor describes Black Cube as operating on a compartmentalized basis and withholding names and sources from field personnel.
Explicit Confidence 97% · Igor EP 99 Details
“Black Cube is a private intelligence company, so they operate in a compartmentalized kind of basis.”
Black Cube USES phone geolocation tracking via reply messages
Black Cube used spam-like text messages whose yes-or-no replies returned the recipient's geolocation; Igor says this was not continuous tracking.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Igor EP 99 Details
“He replies yes or no, the geolocation gets received with the reply.”
Harvey Weinstein surveillance campaign INVOLVES Black Cube
The Harvey Weinstein surveillance campaign involved Black Cube, which Weinstein allegedly hired to investigate and discredit journalists and victims.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Jack Rhysider EP 99 Details
“Harvey Weinstein had hired Black Cube to spy on his victims”
Harvey Weinstein surveillance campaign INVOLVES Ronan Farrow
The campaign involved surveillance of Ronan Farrow while he was investigating Harvey Weinstein.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Igor EP 99 Details
“they assigned us to follow Ronan Farrow and Jodi Kantor”
Harvey Weinstein surveillance campaign INVOLVES Jodi Kantor
The campaign involved surveillance of Jodi Kantor along with Ronan Farrow.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Igor EP 99 Details
“they assigned us to follow Ronan Farrow and Jodi Kantor”
Harvey Weinstein surveillance campaign INVOLVES Harvey Weinstein
The surveillance campaign was connected to Harvey Weinstein's effort to suppress reporting about sexual-harassment allegations against him.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Igor EP 99 Details
“we are working on the Harvey Weinstein story”
“Weinstein discovered that Ronan Farrow was working on this story and hired Black Cube to also spy on Farrow”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab INVOLVES Black Cube
The operation against Citizen Lab involved Black Cube operatives and contractors.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Igor EP 99 Details
“I understand the agent is the operative from Black Cube”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab TARGETS Citizen Lab
The operation sought information about Citizen Lab and potentially material that could discredit the lab's work.
Explicit Confidence 99% · John Scott-Railton EP 99 Details
“the main objective was learning about Citizen Lab’s work and then potentially finding something that could be used against the lab”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab INVOLVES John Scott-Railton
John Scott-Railton was the target of the Black Cube operation involving the false Michel Lambert identity.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Igor EP 99 Details
“He said, this is the target. So, this is who’s gonna be at the meeting who Black Cube is targeting.”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab INVOLVES Bahr Abdul Razzak
Bahr Abdul Razzak was approached in a meeting conducted under a false pretext as part of the operation.
Explicit Confidence 96% · John Scott-Railton EP 99 Details
“My colleague, Bahr Abdul Razzak, is a very thoughtful, smart guy. He immediately recognized that something was amiss”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab INVOLVES FlameTech
The operation involved the fabricated digital identity's purported company, FlameTech, which John describes as appearing fake.
Explicit Confidence 96% · John Scott-Railton EP 99 Details
“some company; FlameTech. But it all looked fake.”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab INVOLVES CPW Consulting
The operation involved the purported company CPW Consulting, which was challenged by Raphael Satter as apparently nonexistent.
Explicit Confidence 94% · Raphael Satter EP 99 Details
“I’d like to speak to you about your company, CPW Consulting.”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab INVOLVES social engineering
The operation used a false pretext about financial solutions for refugees and a fabricated identity to elicit information from Citizen Lab personnel.
Explicit Confidence 99% · John Scott-Railton EP 99 Details
“somebody who claimed to be interested in financial solutions in banking for refugees”
“this person is obviously coming under a false pretense”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab INVOLVES digital identity
The operation used a thin, apparently fabricated digital identity for the operative who approached Citizen Lab.
Explicit Confidence 99% · John Scott-Railton EP 99 Details
“the digital identity that the guy had created was almost paper-thin”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab INVOLVES covert recording
The operation involved attempts to record John Scott-Railton making embarrassing, racist, or antisemitic statements.
Explicit Confidence 98% · Igor EP 99 Details
“trying to get them to say something racist or antisemitic or something that’s embarrassing on tape”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab INVOLVES counter-surveillance
The operation included counter-surveillance intended to detect whether the Black Cube operative was being followed.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Igor EP 99 Details
“my job now involves a counter-surveillance role”
John Scott-Railton MEMBER_OF Citizen Lab
John Scott-Railton works for Citizen Lab and conducts investigative research there.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Jack Rhysider EP 99 Details
“John works for Citizen Lab and does investigative work”
Raphael Satter MEMBER_OF Associated Press
Raphael Satter identifies himself as a journalist with the Associated Press.
Explicit Confidence 99% · Raphael Satter EP 99 Details
“I’m a journalist with the Associated Press”
John Scott-Railton USES covert recording
John created and used a covert-camera necktie to record the meeting with the suspected operative, while also recording audio.
Explicit Confidence 99% · John Scott-Railton EP 99 Details
“create a reasonable approximation of a covert camera video necktie”
“he did manage to still record the audio”
Michel Lambert SAME_AS Aharon Almog-Assoulin
Michel Lambert was identified as Aharon Almog-Assoulin, a former Israeli intelligence officer or official; the identification was reported by The New York Times after Uvda recognized his photo.
Attributed Confidence 96% · John Scott-Railton EP 99 Details
“The New York Times had the story that he was a former Israeli intelligence officer or official named Aharon Almog-Assoulin.”
Aharon Almog-Assoulin MEMBER_OF Black Cube
Uvda recognized Michel's photograph and identified him as someone who works for Black Cube.
Attributed Confidence 94% · Jack Rhysider EP 99 Details
“Uvda recognized the photo of Michel and was able to identify him as someone who works for Black Cube.”
Black Cube operation against Citizen Lab ASSOCIATED_WITH NSO Group
The operation might have been connected to NSO Group, but Jack says there is no hard evidence definitively linking it to NSO.
Uncertain Confidence 91% · Jack Rhysider EP 99 Details
“It’s not clear exactly if it is and there isn’t any hard evidence which definitely links it”
Ronan Farrow AUTHORED The Catch and Kill
Ronan Farrow authored or presented The Catch and Kill podcast, whose first episode retells the story from his perspective.
Explicit Confidence 95% · John Scott-Railton EP 99 Details
“Ronan Farrow’s podcast called The Catch and Kill”
Works mentioned in the transcript. Distinct from show-note sources.
Model gpt-5.6-luna · prompt 1.5.19 · schema 1.5.19 · 2026-09-13T07:13:46.931918+00:00