News

From floppy discs to Claude Mythos, how ransomware grew into a multibillion-dollar industry

  • Anja Shortland, Professor in Political Economy, King's College London--The Conversation Africa
  • published date: 2026-04-21 15:20:42 UTC

The first piece of ransomware was sent it out on 20,0000 floppy discs in 1989, to raise awareness of health- rather than cyber-hygiene.

jijomathaidesigners/Shutterstock When evolutionary biologist Joseph Popp coded the first documented piece of ransomware in 1989, he had little idea it would become a major criminal business model ca… [+7042 chars]