RED BEAR News

Ransomware Negotiations: How to Use Personal Power When Criminals Hold Your Data Hostage

Written by RED BEAR | Jun 23, 2025 4:01:11 PM

When cyber criminals encrypt your business-critical data and demand millions in ransom, you might feel powerless. But even in the most extreme negotiation scenarios, understanding and leveraging your personal power can mean the difference between paying $1.7 million and settling for $225,000.

When the Akira ransomware gang infiltrated a company's network and demanded a seven-figure payout, the initial negotiation seemed hopeless. The criminals held encrypted data, had published sensitive information on the dark web, and appeared to control every aspect of the conversation. Yet through strategic application of negotiation principles—particularly the effective use of personal power—the final settlement was nearly 90% less than the original demand.

This real-world case study reveals how RED BEAR's negotiation methodology applies even in the most high-stakes, adversarial scenarios where traditional positional power seems nonexistent.

The Ransomware Negotiation Landscape: When Positional Power Fails

Ransomware attacks represent one of the most extreme negotiation environments possible. Victims face:

  • Immediate operational disruption with systems locked down
  • Data held hostage with threats of public exposure
  • Time pressure from ongoing business losses
  • Criminal counterparts who operate outside legal frameworks
  • No formal authority or institutional backing

In these scenarios, traditional sources of negotiation power—organizational hierarchy, legal recourse, market position—become largely irrelevant. What remains is the negotiator's ability to influence outcomes through personal power: preparation, strategic communication, and psychological resilience.

As RED BEAR teaches, personal power is "the influence you generate not from your title, budget, organization, or job description—but from who you are, how you show up, and what others experience when they interact with you."

Case Study: From $1.7M to $225K Through Personal Power

The documented Akira ransomware negotiation provides a masterclass in personal power application under extreme duress. Here's how the principles played out:

Initial Intimidation vs. Strategic Response

The Criminal's Opening: Akira's ransom note combined threats ("all your backups...are completely removed") with false cooperation ("let's build a constructive dialogue"). The initial demand: $1.7 million based on supposed analysis of the victim's financial records.

Personal Power Lesson: Criminals rely on panic and confusion to maintain control. The most effective response involves managing your emotional state and gathering information before reacting.

The Failed First Attempt: Lack of Preparation

The company's first negotiator made critical mistakes:

  • Offered an insulting $20,000 counter-offer
  • Showed no understanding of negotiation dynamics
  • Failed to establish credibility or strategic positioning

Result: Akira published the stolen data and threatened to end negotiations entirely.

RED BEAR Principle: Set High Aspirations. Even in desperate situations, lowball offers signal weakness and inexperience, actually reducing your negotiating position.

The Professional Intervention: Personal Power in Action

When a new negotiator entered the conversation (likely a professional specialist), the entire dynamic shifted. This negotiator demonstrated several key aspects of personal power:

1. Expertise and Credibility

  • Apologized for previous unprofessional approach
  • Reframed the interaction as "business between two parties"
  • Demonstrated understanding of ransomware negotiation norms

2. Emotional Control Under Pressure

  • Remained polite and positive throughout hostile exchanges
  • Managed tension without avoiding necessary confrontation
  • Maintained professional demeanor despite criminal behavior

3. Strategic Information Management

  • Provided financial documentation to support lower payment capacity
  • Asked for reciprocal good faith gestures (removing published data)
  • Used time pressure to their advantage in final pricing

4. Confident Communication

  • Made clear, specific proposals rather than desperate pleas
  • Acknowledged constraints while maintaining negotiating position
  • Followed through on commitments to build trust

Personal Power Tactics That Worked

Let's talk about the real winning tactics.

Managing Information Skillfully

The professional negotiator applied RED BEAR's principle of Manage Information Skillfully by:

  • Sharing strategic financial data to support their position without revealing everything
  • Asking for proof of deletion to ensure agreement compliance
  • Confirming specific terms ("both a decryptor...and for Akira to delete the data")

Notably, this information strategy exposed the criminals' deception—they initially claimed to have thoroughly analyzed the victim's finances but later admitted they "do not have real picture" of the company's true financial capacity.

Making Strategic Trades

Rather than simply begging for lower prices, the skilled negotiator made strategic trades:

  • Speed for price: Offering immediate payment in exchange for reduced ransom
  • Commission absorption: Negotiating who would pay Bitcoin transaction fees
  • Good faith gestures: Requesting data removal from leak sites as relationship-building

Positioning Advantageously

The negotiator consistently framed discussions in terms of mutual benefit rather than victim-criminal dynamics:

  • Emphasized both parties being "here to do business"
  • Positioned payment as a business transaction, not extortion response
  • Maintained professional standards even when dealing with criminals

Why Personal Power Succeeded Where Authority Failed

Traditional negotiation advantages were completely absent in this scenario:

  • No legal recourse against international criminals
  • No market leverage over ransomware operators
  • No organizational authority over criminal organizations
  • No time advantage with systems down and data exposed

Yet personal power proved effective because it operates independently of formal structures:

Credibility Creates Influence

The professional negotiator's expertise and competent approach earned respect even from criminals focused on quick payouts. Their credibility made counteroffers seem reasonable rather than desperate.

Preparation Enables Confidence

By understanding ransomware negotiation norms, the skilled negotiator could engage professionally while maintaining psychological composure under extreme stress.

Strategic Thinking Drives Results

Rather than emotional reactions, the negotiator employed systematic problem-solving: identifying mutual interests, creating win-win scenarios, and building toward sustainable agreements.

Lessons for Business Negotiations

While most business professionals won't face ransomware demands, the personal power principles that succeeded in this extreme scenario apply to everyday negotiations:

For Sales Professionals

Scenario: Facing aggressive procurement teams demanding deep discounts

Personal Power Application:

  • Expertise: Demonstrate deep understanding of customer needs and industry trends
  • Confidence: Present pricing professionally without apologetic justification
  • Strategic Information: Share relevant data that supports your value proposition
  • Emotional Control: Maintain composure under pressure tactics

For Procurement Teams

Scenario: Negotiating with suppliers who claim limited flexibility

Personal Power Application:

  • Preparation: Research supplier's business model and competitive landscape
  • Credible Communication: Make informed requests based on market intelligence
  • Strategic Trades: Offer valuable concessions in exchange for target terms
  • Professional Presence: Build relationships that outlast individual negotiations

Building Your Personal Power for High-Stakes Situations

RED BEAR's methodology for developing personal power remains consistent whether you're facing cyber criminals or challenging suppliers:

1. Develop Deep Expertise

Become genuinely knowledgeable about your field, counterpart's business, and negotiation best practices. Expertise creates credibility that transcends formal authority.

2. Practice Emotional Regulation

High-stakes negotiations require psychological resilience. Regular practice managing tension and pressure builds the mental strength needed for critical moments.

3. Master Strategic Communication

Learn to frame conversations, ask powerful questions, and present ideas in ways that resonate with counterparts' interests and decision-making processes.

4. Build Authentic Confidence

True confidence comes from preparation, competence, and alignment with your values—not from artificial bravado or positional authority.

The Ultimate Test of Negotiation Skill

Ransomware negotiations represent an extreme test of negotiation capability—no legal protections, no organizational backing, facing criminal adversaries under tremendous time and financial pressure. Yet even in these circumstances, skilled application of personal power principles can dramatically influence outcomes.

The Akira case demonstrates that personal power isn't just a "nice-to-have" supplement to formal authority—it can be the primary determinant of negotiation success when everything else fails.

For business professionals operating in more conventional environments, this should be encouraging: if personal power can influence hardened cyber criminals, it can certainly help you succeed with challenging customers, suppliers, or internal stakeholders.

Ready to Develop Your Personal Power?

Whether you're facing aggressive competitors, challenging suppliers, or internal resistance to your proposals, personal power gives you influence that doesn't depend on your title or formal authority.

RED BEAR's negotiation training helps sales and procurement professionals develop the expertise, confidence, and strategic thinking needed to succeed in any situation—even the most challenging ones.

Discover how to build your personal power with RED BEAR's proven methodology. Contact us today to learn how our training transforms everyday professionals into influential negotiators.