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Curriculum The Economics of Cybercrime and Security

The Economics of Cybercrime and Security

Why digital attacks keep growing and who pays: the ransomware business model, crime-as-a-service, why firms underinvest in security, the AIIMS attack, cyber insurance, India's cyber rules, bug bounties, the skills gap, attacks on infrastructure, organised scam centres and building resilience.

  1. Why Cyber Attacks Keep Growing Why cybercrime has become a huge global business, what it costs economies, and why digitisation creates new targets. 📄 Read-aloud
  2. The Ransomware Business Model How ransomware gangs lock victims' data and demand payment, why they operate like companies, and the debate over whether victims should pay. 📄 Read-aloud
  3. Dark Web Markets and Crime-as-a-Service How online black markets sell stolen data, hacking tools and services, and how specialisation has made cybercrime more efficient. 📄 Read-aloud
  4. Why Firms Underinvest in Security How externalities, information gaps and misaligned incentives lead companies and software makers to spend too little on cybersecurity. 📄 Read-aloud
  5. Case Study: The AIIMS Cyber Attack How a 2022 ransomware attack shut down systems at India's premier hospital, what it cost, and lessons for public institutions. 📄 Read-aloud
  6. Cyber Insurance How cyber insurance covers breach and ransomware costs, why pricing it is hard, and how insurers push clients to improve security. 📄 Read-aloud
  7. The Economics of Cybercrime and Security: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on cyber threats, ransomware, black markets, underinvestment and the AIIMS attack. 5 questions
  8. CERT-In and India's Cyber Rules How India's cyber agency and laws govern incident reporting and data protection, including the 2022 six-hour reporting rule and the data protection law. 📄 Read-aloud
  9. Bug Bounties and Ethical Hackers How companies pay ethical hackers to find security flaws, why this market works, and how Indian researchers became top earners on bounty platforms. 📄 Read-aloud
  10. The Cybersecurity Jobs Gap Why there is a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals, what the jobs involve and pay, and how India could supply more talent. 📄 Read-aloud
  11. Attacks on Power Grids and Critical Infrastructure How cyber attacks on power grids, pipelines and ports can disrupt whole economies, key cases abroad, and why critical infrastructure needs special protection. 📄 Read-aloud
  12. Organised Scam Centres How cyber fraud became organised at scale, from Jharkhand's Jamtara to scam compounds in Southeast Asia that trafficked workers, and the "digital arrest" fraud wave. 📄 Read-aloud
  13. Building Cyber Resilience How individuals, firms and governments can build resilience against cyber threats, and a recap of the module. 📄 Read-aloud

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