Hackers hire criminals to deliver physical threats to corporate employees

Recent figures from the FBI indicate a disturbing shift in cybercrime, as hackers increasingly employ physical violence to extort victims.

Reports show that US cyberattacks reached a record 1,008,597 instances last year, with financial losses totalling $20.8bn in 2025.

Alarmingly, the number of physical threats linked to these crimes rose more than twofold as gangs transitioned from digital locking to "violence-as-a-service".

Tim Beasley, an employee at security firm Semperis, experienced this escalation firsthand. While negotiating on behalf of a US government organisation, Mr Beasley discovered a package on his doorstep containing a note alluding to physical harm.

"I was like 'what the heck is this?'. I opened the box, and went 'oh!', and I immediately threw it away," he said. Research by Semperis suggests that in 40% of 2025 ransomware attacks, criminals threatened to harm staff who refused to pay.

Zac Warren of security firm Tanium highlighted another case where hospital staff were called by their full names and given their home addresses and social security numbers to induce terror.

"There's a really strong level of intimidation of the clinicians that was taking place," he noted. Experts suggest hackers often recruit young criminals via social media to carry out "dirty work", such as stalking or physical assaults.

Despite the professional risks, many in the C-suite remain vulnerable as personal data becomes a weapon. Mr Beasley warned that these tactics will likely persist "because people keep paying" to protect their families from harm.