
Cryptovirology: The Birth, Neglect, and Explosion of Ransomware - randomwalker
https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2017/7/218875-cryptovirology/fulltext
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anfractuosity
I keep meaning to read the book properly, the premise seems very interesting
to me.

If I recall correctly they've also written some of a newer book too.

Edit: [http://www.cryptovirology.com/](http://www.cryptovirology.com/) and
click on 'new book' has some chapters

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woliveirajr
> It started at Columbia University as a natural by-product of an unnatural
> union: a former hacker placed in a room with a cryptographer, both given
> ample time with which to contemplate the dystopia of tomorrow.

1\. put together hacker and cryptographer

2\. ????

3\. profit.

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CapacitorSet
I find it weird that a cryptographer was required.

I'm no cryptographer, but I know by rule-of-thumb that AES with a randomly-
generated key will do the job just fine.

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woliveirajr
The answer is a few lines below: this was around 1995, when knowledge about
crypto was still very smaller (or not spread as it is today).

~~~
otakucode
Yeah, at the time most writing about crypto was about how it was a munition
and illegal to export, and about Phil Zimmerman getting hassled at airports.

