Information Week: Hackers are using AI bots to scale ransomware negotiations

Ransomware groups are increasingly using AI powered bots to scale negotiations, compress timelines, and pressure incident response teams. Writing for InformationWeek, Fortra lead cybersecurity analyst Josh Taylor explains how defenders can identify automated negotiation tactics, stabilize decision making under pressure, and combine AI tooling with disciplined human oversight to protect leverage during an incident. 

Originally published in Information Week.  

Excerpt: “The negotiation landscape is evolving. Attackers are using AI for scalability, while human operators focus on complex or high-value victims. Defenders must mirror this structure intelligently by combining automation with disciplined human judgment.”