Ransomware groups increase physical and psychological threats against corporate executives

Ransomware groups are increasingly using threats of physical violence against chief information security officers, executives, and senior staff to extort payments, InfoSecurity Magazine and BankInfoSecurity reported. The Semperis 2026 Ransomware Risk Report, published on October 14, revealed that a quarter of ransomware campaigns now involve physical or psychological threats against targeted employees. [1][2]

The threats of violence are deployed alongside demands for decryption keys to recover encrypted files. As FTMQ Security reported earlier, extortion groups expanded their tactics to include physical violence, swatting, and doxxing after victim companies improved their abilities to recover data from backups. [1][6][7]

Ransomware is malware that holds private data hostage until a ransom is paid, often through encryption or exfiltration with threats to release files publicly. Intimidation tactics and communications of intent to inflict harm are used by conflicting parties to make victims psychologically insecure for coercion, according to Wikipedia. [3][4]

Attackers typically demand payment in cryptocurrency or stored-value cards to make prosecution more difficult, Wikipedia describes. FTMQ Security reported earlier that a global survey of 1,200 organizations found forty percent of attacks involved threats against employees and their families, including stalking and abduction threats. [3][6]