Cyber-crime increasingly coming with threats of physical violence

"Inside the box was a threatening note, alluding to physical violence if he didn't back off. Beasley works for a US security firm called Semperis, and at the time he was involved in ransom negotiations on behalf of a US government organisation that had been hit by a cyber-attack. The package delivered to his home in the US was a warning from the ransomware group he had been having to talk to."

"Cyber-attacks continue to soar around the world. In the US alone, the number of reported instances has increased from 288,012 in 2015 to 1,008,597 last year, a record high, according to new figures from the FBI. It said that the resulting financial loss for US companies and other organisations totalled $20.8bn (15.4bn) in 2025. That was up from $16.6bn in 2024."

"Usually in such instances the hackers try to infiltrate a company's computer system to steal sensitive data, or to take control and lock out the business. The cyber criminals then demand money for the return of the data, or to hand the system back to the firm in question. But an increasing number of cyber attackers are now going further in their efforts to extort their victims - and threatening actual violence."

"The number of such physical threats rose more than twofold last year in the US, FBI annual data shows. Separate research from Semperis found that in as many as 40% of global ransomware attacks in 2025, the criminals threatened to physically harm members of staff who refused to pay a ransom demand. The phenomenon was said to be even more widespread in the US, where companies experienced physical threats 46% of the time."

A US security professional received a package containing a threatening note tied to ransomware negotiations. Cyber-attacks have risen sharply worldwide, with US reported incidents reaching a record high and financial losses totaling billions of dollars. Attacks often aim to infiltrate systems to steal data or lock organizations out, followed by ransom demands. A growing pattern involves extortion that goes beyond digital coercion, including threats of physical harm. FBI data shows physical threats more than doubled in the US. Research indicates physical threats occurred in about 40% of global ransomware attacks in 2025, and in the US in about 46% of cases.

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