14 October 2025
New book sheds light on murky world of cybercrime
A new book authored by a King’s academic dives into the murky underworld of cybercrime and hacking.
We Know You Can Pay a Million sheds lights on the criminal underworld where organised groups trade stolen information for cryptocurrency and reveals the hidden histories of the super hackers.
The book is authored by Professor Anja Shortland, an expert in the economics of crime and organised crime, whose previous work includes Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business and Lost Art: The Art Loss Register’s Casebook.
We Know You Can Pay a Million is the result of years of research and hundreds of interviews carried out by Prof Shortland with leading figures in the cybercrime ecosystem: law enforcement, black and white hackers, insurers, and ransom negotiators.
Published by Profile Books Ltd, advance copies of the book are available at the link here: We Know You Can Pay a Million: Inside the Dark Economy of Hacking and Ransomware. You can receive 25 per cent off the title when you enter the code OCTOBER25 during checkout between 14-17 October.
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Professor in Political Economy