... according to the BKA, digital blackmail is on the rise: in 2013 alone, the BKA registered over 6,700 cases of digital blackmail using so-called 'ransomware'. This is malware that hackers use to encrypt other people's private data on their computers or prevent access to it - until a ransom is paid. In addition to blackmailing private individuals, there are now also variants of ransomware that are designed to infect server systems and can therefore also pose a threat to small and medium-sized companies.