Ransom War

This timely book explores the alarming rise of ransomware: malicious software that blocks users from their systems or data until they have paid money to regain access or to prevent the release of sensitive information. High-profile British examples of the twenty-first century have targeted national libraries and hospital trusts. In the US, hackers of Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley Health Network held patient data hostage and, when their demands went unmet, published topless photographs of women with breast cancer.

The issue presents formidable challenges and costs for businesses, national security and, as the Pennsylvania case showed, individuals—often society's most vulnerable. But we can watch and learn from cyber extortionists, leaving us better prepared for next time. In 2022, a series of devastating ransomware attacks prompted Costa Rica's President to declare a national emergency, describing a 'state of war'. This episode had much to tell us about how these networks arise, operate, organise and collapse.

Ransom War by Max Smeets is a landmark study that demystifies the ransomware playbook, from funding to networking. Through one of the largest ransomware operations on record, he reveals how this challenge has evolved, how it differs in substance and style from traditional cyber/hacking threats, and how to combat it.