Winning the Mind Game: The Role of the Ransomware Negotiator

Get exclusive insights from a real ransomware negotiator who shares authentic stories from network hostage situations and how he managed them. The Ransomware Industry Ransomware is an industry. As such, it has its own business logic: organizations pay money, in crypto-currency, in order to regain...

It Started as an Online Gaming Prank. Then It Turned Deadly

A $1.50 wager on a "Call of Duty" match led to a fake 911 call reporting a violent hostage situation in Wichita. Here’s how it all went horribly awry...

Kansas Man Killed In ‘SWATting’ Attack

A 28-year-old Kansas man was shot and killed by police officers on the evening of Dec. 28 after someone fraudulently reported a hostage situation ongoing at his home. The false report was the latest in a dangerous hoax known as "swatting," wherein the perpetrator falsely reports a dangerous...

Canadian Man Gets 9 Months Detention for Serial Swattings, Bomb Threats

A 19-year-old Canadian man was found guilty of making almost three dozen fraudulent calls to emergency services across North America in 2013 and 2014. The false alarms, two of which targeted this author -- involved phoning in phony bomb threats and multiple attempts at "swatting" -- a dangerous...