The Ransomware Hunting Team: A Band of Misfits' Improbable Crusade to Save the World from Cybercrime
Dudley and Golden dig deeply into the emotional and financial tolls on people like Gillespie, who insists on offering his services to victims at no charge ... Dudley and Golden do a brilliant job of tracing the back-and-forth between attackers and defenders, like the little taunts the criminals embed in their programs after earlier versions are thwarted ... Even as they draw out these competitive and sometimes comical dynamics, Dudley and Golden are highly attuned to the havoc ransomware can wreak ... But the book leaves other potential legal and regulatory defenses against ransomware underexplored, such as systematic targeting of cryptocurrency exchanges, botnet operators, hosting providers and internet service providers that facilitate ransomware and could potentially be leveraged to disrupt these attacks ... Instead of focusing on policy and institutional shortcomings, Dudley and Golden are most interested in the characters at the center of this fight.
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Though the general idea is easy to grasp—criminals encrypt the target’s files, then ask for money to decrypt them again—the nuts and bolts of cybercrime are often baffling to the uninitiated. Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden, a pair of journalists, have written a good introduction to the subject. They focus as much on people as on the computers ... Having access to those at the sharp end provides the authors with some fascinating anecdotes ... The ransomware business is complicated, ruthless and growing fast. Those looking for a guide should start here.
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Explains to the reader a major struggle at the center of the fight against ransomware ... The Ransomware Hunting Team clearly delivers the stories of the creation and evolution of ransomware, giving the reader a comprehensive overview of the history of computer viruses, their creators, and the personal lives of those working for the team, as they balance their obsession with ridding the world of cybercrime with their jobs and families ... Dudley and Golden are both respected journalists, and their writing reflects their acclaimed careers. With the pacing of an action-packed thriller, The Ransomware Hunting Team is loaded with page-turning moments, including tense scenes of racing against the clock to save networks and high-stakes negotiations with Russian hackers. While being loaded with technical information, The Ransomware Hunting Team manages to come across as incredibly readable, with clear explanations allowing the reader to never feel left behind as the story progresses.
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