<p>What if ransomware did not begin with criminals, but with curiosity? In this episode of Breaking Math, Autumn and Noah talk with Anja Shortland, professor of political economy at King’s College London and author of Dark Screens. </p><p>This conversation explores how playful hacking evolved into professionalized cybercrime, why ransomware gangs operate like morally questionable internet startups, how cryptocurrency made ransomware scalable, and why hospitals, governments, universities, and critical infrastructure remain especially vulnerable. We also dig into the mathematics behind encryption, asymmetric cryptography, game theory, negotiation, cyber insurance, and the uncomfortable trade-offs between freedom, privacy, and regulation. </p><p>Chapters </p><p>00:00 The origins of ransomware and early hacker culture </p><p>02:13 The evolution of ransomware attacks since 2013 </p><p>03:14 The paradox of cybercriminals as entrepreneurs </p><p>06:19 Early hackers: Steve Jobs and Wozniak as pioneers </p><p>12:34 The moral and legal landscape of hacking and cybercrime </p><p>13:39 The importance of cybersecurity awareness for individuals </p><p>15:03 The arms race: attackers vs defenders and the role of math </p><p>16:02 The technological innovations behind ransomware </p><p>19:21 Asymmetric encryption and cryptocurrency in ransomware </p><p>20:53 Bitcoin and the dark web: enabling cybercrime </p><p>22:45 The impact of AI on future cyber threats and defenses </p><p>34:07 The future of ransomware and cybersecurity challenges </p><p></p><p>Follow Anja Shortland on </p><p>LinkedIn (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/anja-shortland-53133b231">https://uk.linkedin.com/in/anja-shortland-53133b231</a>)</p><p>Book (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/4d6pB4X">https://amzn.to/4d6pB4X</a>) </p><p>Follow Breaking Math on </p><p>Substack (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://breakingmath.substack.com/">https://breakingmath.substack.com/</a>) </p><p>Twitter (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/breakingmathpod">https://x.com/breakingmathpod</a>) </p><p>X (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/breakingmathmedia/">https://www.instagram.com/breakingmathmedia/</a>) </p><p>Bluesky (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bsky.app/profile/breakingmath.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/breakingmath.bsky.social</a>) </p><p>Website (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.breakingmath.io/">https://www.breakingmath.io/</a>) </p><p>Follow Noah on</p><p>Instagram (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/profnoahgian/">https://www.instagram.com/profnoahgian/</a>)</p><p>Twitter (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/ProfNoahGian">https://x.com/ProfNoahGian</a>)</p><p>Bluesky (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bsky.app/profile/profnoahgian.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/profnoahgian.bsky.social</a>)</p><p>Follow Autumn on X (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/1autumn_leaf">https://x.com/1autumn_leaf</a>) </p><p>Bluesky (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://bsky.app/profile/1autumnleaf.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/1autumnleaf.bsky.social</a>) </p><p>Instagram (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/1autumnleaf/">https://www.instagram.com/1autumnleaf/</a>) </p><p>Substack (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://substack.com/@1autumnleaf">https://substack.com/@1autumnleaf</a>) </p><p>email: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p>