double extortion

noun

A cybercrime tactic wherein attackers exfiltrate and encrypt sensitive data, then threaten to publish it unless the victim pays a ransom.

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Meanings

noundouble extortion (uncountable)
  1. uncountablecomputer securityA cybercrime tactic wherein attackers exfiltrate and encrypt sensitive data, then threaten to publish it unless the victim pays a ransom.

    Analysis of the hacker group’s operations in recent months shows that it has pivoted away from double extortion methods due to the emergence of publicly available decryptor tools, such as those released by Avast.

    2023 June 29, Ross Kelly, “Encryption-less ransomware: Warning issued over emerging attack method for threat actors”, in ITPro
Cite this entry
APA

double extortion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20extortion

MLA

“double extortion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20extortion. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “double extortion,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20extortion.

Source: double extortion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.