Ransomware attacks are “death by a 1,000 cuts”

There was a successful ransomware attack every eight minutes last year, according to one cybersecurity firm. This year’s high-profile attacks — the ones we know about, that is — have disrupted critical infrastructure and had knock-on effects on consumers. On today’s show, we’ll talk with Robert Latiff, author of “Future War,” about the worst-case scenario, why the U.S. is particularly vulnerable and what the federal government needs to do before it’s too late.

Here’s everything we talked about on the show today:

“Are We Waiting for Everyone to Get Hacked?” from The New York Times

“U.S. to give ransomware hacks similar priority as terrorism, official says” from Reuters

“The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax” from ProPublica

“National Donut Day Is In June AND November. But Why Are There 2?” from HuffPost

Finally: We need your voice memos! Tell us what you think of the show or ask a question for Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood to answer! Here’s how to do it.