Ransomware: "The worst mistake is a CEO who asks: How do I pay?"
Cyber attacks are crippling entire production lines and increasingly affecting medium-sized businesses too. Two experts explain how companies should negotiate with blackmailers - and how they can better protect themselves.
Zug, ransomware, a malicious software used for extortion, has become one of the biggest business risks - not just for corporations, but particularly for German medium-sized enterprises. According to the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, 1,041 ransomware attacks were reported in 2025, marking a ten percent increase from the previous year.
In a ransomware attack, criminals encrypt an entire IT system and demand a ransom, usually in the form of Bitcoin, often accompanied by the threat of publishing previously stolen data. But how can businesses defend themselves? How can they regain control in such a situation? And which mistakes are particularly costly in the first hours?
Crisis negotiators Michael Sjøberg, formerly specialized in hostage situations with the Danish military, and Peter Skovbo, who leads the Swiss consulting firm Delta Crisis founded by Sjøberg, explain in an interview. When a company calls Mr. Sjøberg during a cyber attack, what is typically already wrong?
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- Ransomware: "The worst mistake is a CEO who asks: How do I pay?" handelsblatt.com
