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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engineered Automation of Maine | · Apr 19, 2024 | — |
| JE Owens | · Apr 19, 2024 | — |
| P??????? & ???? | · Apr 19, 2024 | — |
| Heritage Cooperative | · Apr 16, 2024 | — |
| Feldstein & Stewart | · Apr 12, 2024 | — |
| Agate Construction | · Apr 12, 2024 | — |
| H??????? C?????????? | · Apr 12, 2024 | — |
| MoldTech | · Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Theatrixx Technologies | · Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| Access Intelligence | · Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| New England Wooden Ware | · Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| LS Networks | · Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| The MBTW Group | · Apr 11, 2024 | — |
| F???s???? & ??????t | · Apr 10, 2024 | — |
| Sit | · Apr 4, 2024 | — |
| Guy's Floor Service | · Apr 4, 2024 | — |
| Everbrite | · Apr 4, 2024 | — |
| Boingo Graphics | · Apr 2, 2024 | — |
| W?????? ????????y | · Mar 29, 2024 | — |
| Pavilion Construction | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Tbr Kowalczyk | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| JM Thompson | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Weld Plus | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Festspielhaus Baden-Baden | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| West Monroe | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Frawner | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Alber Law Group | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Hartz | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Quality Enclosures | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Lawrence Semiconductor Research Laboratory | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Lambda Energy Resources | · Mar 27, 2024 | — |
| Schokinag | · Mar 18, 2024 | — |
| Bechtold | · Mar 13, 2024 | — |
| Canada Revenue Agency | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| White Oak Partners | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| Ruda Auto | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| Image Pointe | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| Grassmid Transport | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| Fashion UK | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| QI Group | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| BiTec | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| Bridger Insurance | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| SREE Hotels | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| Q?? ??o?? | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| Premier Technology | · Mar 11, 2024 | — |
| Continental Aerospace Technologies | · Mar 9, 2024 | — |
| MainVest | · Mar 6, 2024 | — |
| C?????????? A???????e T??????????? | · Mar 6, 2024 | — |
| K???o??? | · Mar 6, 2024 | — |
| Hedlunds | · Mar 2, 2024 | — |
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