We Know You Can Pay a Million (Hardback)

Inside the Dark Economy of Hacking and Ransomware

Anja Shortland

A deeply informed, nail-biting expose of the multibillion-dollar hacking and ransomware industry

Cybercrime is everywhere. A multibillion-pound industry run by wily hackers and fraudsters. Bankrupting business, stalling governments, stealing sensitive data. Your turn could come any day now. Are you ready?

'A fascinating book about one of the great scourges of the modern world' OLIVER BULLOUGH, bestselling author of MONEYLAND

You've heard the stories. Frozen IT systems, error codes everywhere, a pulsating pop-up threat: pay up, or lose everything. With new attacks hitting the headlines every day, ransomware is recognised as a serious threat to global security and the economy, yet it remains a slippery and little understood phenomenon.

From a leading expert in illicit trading, We Know You Can Pay a Million spotlights the criminal underworld where organised groups trade stolen information and cryptocurrencies, and reveals the fascinating hidden histories of the superhackers whose activities have potentially catastrophic consequences for us all.

Publication date: April 9, 2026

£22.00

ISBN: 9781805224549

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Arts, Language & Literature

We Know You Can Pay a Million (Ebook)

Inside the Dark Economy of Hacking and Ransomware

Anja Shortland

Preorder from

A deeply informed, nail-biting expose of the multibillion-dollar hacking and ransomware industry

Cybercrime is everywhere. A multibillion-pound industry run by wily hackers and fraudsters. Bankrupting business, stalling governments, stealing sensitive data. Your turn could come any day now. Are you ready?

'A fascinating book about one of the great scourges of the modern world' OLIVER BULLOUGH, bestselling author of MONEYLAND

You've heard the stories. Frozen IT systems, error codes everywhere, a pulsating pop-up threat: pay up, or lose everything. With new attacks hitting the headlines every day, ransomware is recognised as a serious threat to global security and the economy, yet it remains a slippery and little understood phenomenon.

From a leading expert in illicit trading, We Know You Can Pay a Million spotlights the criminal underworld where organised groups trade stolen information and cryptocurrencies, and reveals the fascinating hidden histories of the superhackers whose activities have potentially catastrophic consequences for us all.

Publication date: April 9, 2026

£20.99

ISBN: 9781805224563

ISBN 10 / ASIN: B0FH7K6LFD

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Arts, Language & Literature

We Know You Can Pay a Million (Audiobook)

Inside the Dark Economy of Hacking and Ransomware

Anja Shortland

Preorder from

A deeply informed, nail-biting expose of the multibillion-dollar hacking and ransomware industry

Cybercrime is everywhere. A multibillion-pound industry run by wily hackers and fraudsters. Bankrupting business, stalling governments, stealing sensitive data. Your turn could come any day now. Are you ready?

'A fascinating book about one of the great scourges of the modern world' OLIVER BULLOUGH, bestselling author of MONEYLAND

You've heard the stories. Frozen IT systems, error codes everywhere, a pulsating pop-up threat: pay up, or lose everything. With new attacks hitting the headlines every day, ransomware is recognised as a serious threat to global security and the economy, yet it remains a slippery and little understood phenomenon.

From a leading expert in illicit trading, We Know You Can Pay a Million spotlights the criminal underworld where organised groups trade stolen information and cryptocurrencies, and reveals the fascinating hidden histories of the superhackers whose activities have potentially catastrophic consequences for us all.

Publication date: April 9, 2026

£24.99

ISBN: 9781805228196

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Arts, Language & Literature

Reviews for We Know You Can Pay a Million

'Anja Shortland is an excellent guide to the hidden paths and secret passages of our economy. A fascinating book about one of the great scourges of the modern world'

Oliver Bullough, bestselling author of MONEYLAND 

'Praise for Kidnap: 'Fascinating and provocative... as compelling as any fictional thriller'

 Money Week

'An indispensable guide'

 Washington Times

'After years of research and hundreds of interviews, Anja Shortland has delivered a truly excellent book'

 Independent Review

Anja Shortland

Anja Shortland

Anja Shortland is Professor of Political Economy at King's College London, and a world expert in the economics of crime, particularly on art theft and fraud, and hostage and ransom negotiations. We Know You Can Pay a Million is her first trade book. Her books for an academic readership include Kidnap. She lives in Wiltshire.