Report: Ransomware actors test new pressure techniques

In one instance, a ransomware group claimed data it stole from a victim organisation revealed an employee's web search history for child sexual abuse material. — Image by storyset on Freepik

Ransomware attackers are trying new ways of coercing victims.

Alongside encrypting files and threatening to publish stolen data, some cyber extortionists are now searching data for opportunities to apply more pressure to victims. Cyber criminals may look for evidence of wrongdoing that they can turn over to authorities, or for business secrets to share with competitors, for example. This is according to a report published this week by Sophos X-Ops, the threat intelligence unit of the global cybersecurity company Sophos.