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Ransomware: „Der schlimmste Fehler ist ein CEO, der fragt: Wie zahle ich?“

Cyber-Attacken legen ganze Produktionen lahm und treffen zunehmend auch den Mittelstand. Zwei Experten erklären, wie Firmen mit Erpressern verhandeln sollten – und sich besser schützen können.

Ransomware: „Der schlimmste Fehler ist ein CEO, der fragt: Wie zahle ich?“

Zug, Switzerland - Ransomware, or extortion software, has become one of the greatest business risks, not just for large corporations, but also for the German middle market. In 2025, the German Interior Ministry reported 1,041 ransomware attacks, a ten percent increase from the previous year. During a ransomware attack, criminals encrypt entire IT systems and demand a ransom, typically in the form of Bitcoin, often accompanied by the threat of publishing previously stolen data.

So, how can companies defend against such attacks? How can they regain control in this situation? And what mistakes prove particularly costly in the first hours? Crisis negotiators Michael Sjøberg, who specialized in hostage situations in the Danish military, and Peter Skovbo, who leads the crisis management firm Delta Crisis in Switzerland, discuss these questions in an interview. Mr. Sjøberg, when a company calls you during a cyberattack, what typically goes wrong?

Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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