play
ransomware group · aka Play, PlayCrypt, Water Curupira Pikapilya (Trend Micro tracking name) · unknown; widely assessed as likely Russia-based, though no confirmed attribution · active since 2022
Play (PlayCrypt) is a double-extortion ransomware group first publicly documented in 2022, known for a leak-first extortion model, distinctive ransom notes that omit ransom amounts and contact details, and encryption support for Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD. Victim sectors reported include government facilities, critical infrastructure, education facilities, information technology, healthcare/public health, financial services, and manufacturing, across North America, South America, and Europe. Per the FBI/CISA #StopRansomware advisory update (December 2024), Play had affected approximately 900 organizations worldwide, up from about 300 as of July 2023. The group gains access by exploiting known vulnerabilities in internet-facing appliances and remote-monitoring/management (RMM) software, supplemented by valid-account use. Dashboard tracking: 2 victims in the last 7/30/90 days, 2 total since 2026-09-09; last post 2026-09-09.
- Exploits known vulnerabilities in Fortinet devices for initial access (CVE-2018-13379, CVE-2020-12812, CVE-2020-15310) per FBI/CISA advisory (2024 update)
- Exploited SimpleHelp RMM path-traversal flaw CVE-2024-5776 as an access vector per FBI/CISA advisory (January 2025)
- Uses valid accounts, RDP, and RMM/remote-access tooling for lateral movement and persistence
- Living-off-the-land operations: GPO and scheduled-task deployment, disabling Microsoft Defender, use of batch/PowerShell tooling (FBI/CISA, 2023)
- Exfiltrates victim data before encryption; reported use of rsync for data transfer
- Double extortion via Tor-based 'Play News' leak site; ransom notes characteristically lack ransom amount and initial contact information
- Encrypts across Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD systems
Dallas County, Texas (2023; attribution via widely reported press coverage), Red Star Oil (leak-site post tracked by this dashboard, posted 2026-09-09), GT Distributors (leak-site post tracked by this dashboard, posted 2026-09-09)
No public figure.
Leak-site victims1,282 posts · newest first
| Victim | Discovered | Details |
|---|---|---|
| McCody | · Oct 18, 2024 | — |
| W?l?????n | · Oct 17, 2024 | — |
| CETRULO | · Oct 16, 2024 | — |
| Nor-Well | · Oct 16, 2024 | — |
| Kuhn and Associates | · Oct 16, 2024 | — |
| Nora Biscuits | · Oct 14, 2024 | — |
| Rescar Companies | · Oct 14, 2024 | — |
| Concord | · Oct 14, 2024 | — |
| OzarksGo | · Oct 14, 2024 | — |
| Byerly Aviation | · Oct 14, 2024 | — |
| Courtney Construction | · Oct 14, 2024 | — |
| Henneman Engineering | · Oct 14, 2024 | — |
| Misionero Vegetables | · Oct 14, 2024 | — |
| Steel Art Signs | · Oct 14, 2024 | — |
| FortyEighty Architecture | · Oct 9, 2024 | — |
| RobbJack & Crystallume | · Oct 9, 2024 | — |
| Universal Companies | · Oct 9, 2024 | — |
| Eagle Recovery Associates | · Oct 8, 2024 | — |
| AnVa Industries | · Oct 8, 2024 | — |
| Smoker's Choice | · Oct 8, 2024 | — |
| Saratoga Liquor | · Oct 8, 2024 | — |
| Accounting Resource Group | · Oct 8, 2024 | — |
| Aaren Scientific | · Oct 8, 2024 | — |
| Creative Consumer Concepts | · Oct 5, 2024 | — |
| Power Torque Services | · Oct 5, 2024 | — |
| C&L Ward | · Oct 4, 2024 | — |
| Wilmington Convention Center | · Oct 4, 2024 | — |
| Guerriere & Halnon | · Oct 4, 2024 | — |
| Markdom Plastic Products | · Oct 4, 2024 | — |
| Pete's Road Service | · Oct 4, 2024 | — |
| Affirm Agency | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| InteriorWorx Commercial Flooring | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| Performance Food Centers | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| Reutter | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| 4B Components | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| Andantex USA | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| G/S Solutions | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| Condere Ip, Infracom Group | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| The Rubber Resources | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| Classic Business Products | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| Garvey | · Sep 29, 2024 | — |
| Mile Hi Foods | · Sep 26, 2024 | — |
| PetEdge | · Sep 24, 2024 | — |
| BroadGrain Commodities | · Sep 23, 2024 | — |
| Eurobulk | · Sep 23, 2024 | — |
| Jackson Paper Manufacturing | · Sep 20, 2024 | — |
| Messe C | · Sep 20, 2024 | — |
| Noble Environmental | · Sep 20, 2024 | — |
| Omega Industries | · Sep 20, 2024 | — |
| Pacific Coast Building Products | · Sep 20, 2024 | — |
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