And while Misha Glenny cracked open the hackers' fraternities and got the inside scoop from some of the best of law enforcers, what he couldn't find out is how much banks are losing from cyber-crime.

BBC: Man at a computer

That's why Misha Glenny criticises the simple response that hackers get jailed, particularly if they find themselves incarcerated in a penitentiary for white collar crime, where they can build up formidable networks for subsequent exploits.

BBC: Man at a computer

Less comic is the role Glenny spells out of Ukrainian and Russian secret service, who have turned a blind eye in Odessa, the city notorious for its organised crime, so long as the geeks don't soil their own Ukrainian or Russian nests.

BBC: Man at a computer