Ransomware Gangs Are Now Threatening Staff and Their Families, Survey Finds

Ransomware is increasingly being used to frighten people, not just lock up systems. According to Semperis' annual ransomware risk report, 37% of ransomware attacks involved psychological or physical threats against staff. The global study covered 1,200 organisations that had already been hit by ransomware, and was conducted in the first half of the year. Attackers used psychological intimidation in 23% of cases and physical threats in 17%, to force victims to pay.

Tim Beasley, a senior incident response consultant at Semperis, said he has seen the tactics first-hand. In one case, senior executives were sent pictures of their children's schools by the criminals, in an effort to pressure them into paying. He also described threats involving people's families, drawn from social media research. While investigating a cyberattack linked to Russia's Midnight Blizzard, he received an unmarked package of regional gifts at his home, which he read as a message that the group knew where he was.

The report also points to a wider trend. Over the summer, Europol and its partners flagged 4,340 URLs for removal in a crackdown on The Com, a loose network of online groups whose young members take part in hacking, swatting, digital extortion and physical violence. Beasley said he has seen "violence as a service" used, and that these threats are now something responders increasingly expect.