Anja Shortland and Oliver Bullough: Inside the Dark Economy

We’ve all heard the stories of frozen IT systems, error codes and pop-ups threatening victims they’ll lose everything unless they pay up. In the face of such chaos, globally recognised names from Marks and Spencer to the British Library chose to do just that, because it’s preferable to submit to hackers’ demands and minimise disruption, rather than to stand firm and suffer the damage. With new attacks hitting the headlines every day, ransomware is recognised as a serious threat to global security and the economy, yet it remains an elusive and little understood phenomenon.

Joining us to shed light on the industry, offer guidance on navigating its threats, and predict how it may evolve is Anja Shortland. A Professor of Political Economy, Shortland is also a world expert in illicit trading whose new book, We Know You Can Pay a Million, spotlights the criminal underworld where organised groups trade stolen information and cryptocurrencies.

Anja Shortland is Professor of Political Economy at King’s College London, and a world expert in the economics of crime, particularly on art theft and fraud, and hostage and ransom negotiations. We Know You Can Pay a Million is her first trade book. Her books for an academic readership include Kidnap. She lives in Wiltshire.

Oliver Bullough is the author of the Sunday Times bestsellers Butler to the World and Moneyland, as well as two celebrated books about the former Soviet Union: The Last Man in Russia and Let Our Fame Be Great. His journalism appears regularly in The Guardian, The New York Times and GQ.

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