Preview

Try for £0.00
Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Operation Firewall

By: Michal Lev-Ram
Narrated by: Michal Lev-Ram
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

  • Summary

  • A Secret Service agent and a hacker-turned-informant join forces to take down a global cybercriminal ring, back when there were barely laws in place to prohibit what the cyber criminals were up to. It’s the early 2000s. The Internet is still a novelty. Twitter, Facebook, and Apple’s iPhones have yet to be invented. Terms like “cyberterrorism” and “ransomware” are not yet part of the mainstream lexicon. But the information superhighway already presents an attractive route for criminals—one with infinite lanes. While his colleagues were still focused on crimes committed IRL (in real life), Steve Ward, a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, talks his superiors into letting him embark on an unprecedented covert operation designed to discover and stop shadowy operations made possible by the Internet. Steve’s not making much headway when through a lucky break he finds himself partnered with an unlikely ally: a 20-something, Miami-born hacker named Albert Gonzalez. Albert turns informant after he’s popped for a slew of infractions that include computer crimes and possession of ecstasy and cocaine. The two prove to be radically successful in a colossal sting operation—to everyone’s surprise, including their own. But success doesn’t remain sweet. When Albert is accused of spearheading the biggest theft of credit card data at that time, he turns on Steve, attempting to implicate him in criminal malfeasance. Veteran technology journalist and Fortune writer Michal Lev-Ram, tells the gripping story of Operation Firewall, giving a rare look into the murky world of hackers and the heroes who try to catch them. Told through the eyes of Steve, other Secret Service agents, analysts, prosecutors, and former hackers and their families, Operation Firewall takes listeners through the twists and turns of this historic investigation. But Operation Firewall is much more than a tale about good versus evil—duking it out in the cyber-world. It is also the story of a friendship between two men, the partnership that unfolds, and later implodes, with high-stakes consequences.
    ©2021 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC
    Show More Show Less
True Crime
Show More Show Less
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2
Episodes
  • Episode 1: On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Dog

    Episode 1: On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Dog
    Apr 28 2022
    It’s the early 2000s, and law enforcement is focused on counterterrorism, not computer crimes. But Secret Service Special Agent Steve Ward is eager to prove that cybercrime should be a top priority for his agency. He meets Albert Gonzalez, a young hacker, who has just been arrested in Manhattan and is facing multiple charges—he had been stealing money from ATMs using hacked debit card data. Steve quickly realizes that Albert isn’t just a one-man operation; he’s part of a global ring of cybercriminals called Shadowcrew.
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
    Try for £0.00
  • Episode 2: The Cave

    Episode 2: The Cave
    Apr 28 2022
    Steve is determined to take down the cybercriminal ring his young hacker-turned-informant, Albert, belongs to: Shadowcrew. But first, he needs an off-the-books base of operations, and equipment, and… a team. The problem is, no one wants anything to do with Operation Firewall, the investigation Steve is trying to spearhead.
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
    Try for £0.00
  • Episode 3: Master Helmsman

    Episode 3: Master Helmsman
    Apr 28 2022
    Steve struggles to get the Secret Service to properly fund Operation Firewall. So he comes up with an unconventional plan to visit Albert’s family in Miami and ask for their help. His whole life has led to this moment.
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
    Try for £0.00

What listeners say about Operation Firewall

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    70
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    72
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    68
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amazon Customer

A fascinating tale

A very well-researched, fascinating, surprising, insightful, thought-provoking podcast which I would thoroughly recommend!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amir Khalaf

loved it!

As a tech geek I would have preferred a bit more explanation around the actual hacks and the use of more technical terms. but that is just me, it was amazing!!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Evertonian

Excellent insight into the world of cyber crime

The story is told very well, from several angles. I could see this being made into a crime drama movie/series.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Marios

Interesting story...

Interesting story that I never heard of... I was expecting something else but I was not disappointed...

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Orest Hrycyna

Great story

I love myself a good hacker story and this one is one of the best ones I’ve heard probably since Kevin Mitnick. Good production too, recommend!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User

the pacing

an amazing podcast that painted a story of making history towards the dot com bubble

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Vicktoria

Superb....

This is a really interesting and well presented podcast. If you are interested in stories around police investigations and/or hacking, this is really worth a listen. I'm hoping for a follow up to this podcast!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Stephen

Quite boring

Expected something along the lines of the intrigue of the dark web or hacktivists like anonymous. Instead it was just a really quite drab story told in a very unengaging way.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Steven C.

Teenage language

I gave it a try but had to abort.
How many times can you insert the word “ like” into a sentence?
For me, unlistenable.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for I remember

Slow Down during talking

the content is interesting.BUT trying to keep up is impossible. They keep swaping from one person to the next, and sounds like they are reading from a script, which is obvious....

slow down! imagine listening to this, when people are talkig too fast...its impossible to keep up or mentally process the words....

turn off the harmonics on the main microphone! all the microphones are different levels.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!