Dark Screens

A riveting account of major ransomware attacks and their devastating consequences, revealing how exposed we really are—and how we can protect ourselves

Imagine opening your computer only to find every document and every program locked. All you can see is a red screen with a countdown timer, urging you to pay a ransom within seventy-two hours or lose access forever. For more than a decade, hackers have been extorting billions of dollars from businesses, governments, and individuals with ever more sophisticated variations on this simple scheme.

Dark Screens offers a ringside seat to the most notorious ransomware attacks of the twenty-first century. It sheds light on the inner workings of criminal gangs that target hospitals, public infrastructure, and vulnerable companies—as well as the individuals and organizations trying to stop them. It tracks how ransomware is becoming a weapon of cyberwar, as seen in the Russian NotPetya attack, and the worldwide WannaCry cyberattack by North Korea. Ransomware expert Anja Shortland shares these stories to sound the alarm about how vulnerable we are to cyberattacks and highlight best practices from cybersecurity and crisis management to law enforcement and public policy.

Dark Screens shines a light on the fascinating underworld of superhackers whose activities have potentially catastrophic implications for us all.

• “Shortland is an excellent guide to the hidden paths and secret passages of our economy. Dark Screens is a fascinating book about one of the great scourges of the modern world.” 
  Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland
• “A completely engrossing and extremely well-informed account of a world we wish would disappear—but must expect to grow.” 
  John Kay, author of The Corporation in the 21st Century
• “A fascinating and frightening description of how a largely unregulated system can be used to parasitize the legitimate economy. There is stuff in here that will keep you awake at night.” 
  Dan Davies, author of Lying for Money
• “Shortland takes us into the world of hacking and ransomware as nobody has done so far. This compelling and illuminating book is a must read.” 
  Federico Varese, author of Mafias on the Move