China · United Kingdom · BBC Technology
Cyber-crime increasingly coming with threats of physical violence
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A few years ago, Tim Beasley opened his front door to discover that a small package had been left on the step.
Key facts
- It said that the resulting financial loss for US companies and other organisations totalled $20.8bn (£15.4bn) in 2025
- The FBI's profile of one such group indicated an age range of mostly between 17 and 25
- 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
Summary
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. It said that the resulting financial loss for US companies and other organisations totalled $20.8bn (£15.4bn) in 2025.