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, telling you to pay a ransom within seventy-two hours or lose access forever. This is exactly what happened around the world in the 2013 Cryptolocker attack, when hackers extorted $27 million dollars from businesses, governments, and everyday people.  

Dark Screens offers a ringside seat to the most notorious ransomware attacks of the twenty-first century. It recounts how data encrypted for ransom led to the partial shutdown of a major LA hospital and froze international shipping at the Royal Mail. It also reveals how ransomware is becoming a weapon of cyberwar, as seen in the Russian “NotPetya” attack, which crippled Ukrainian infrastructure, 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 this kind of cyberattack and highlight solutions—from cybersecurity best practices to new initiatives like decryption support and bans on ransom payments. If you don’t want to be the next victim of a ransomware attack, this book is for you.