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 |
|---|---|---|
| Triumph Construction | · Jun 5, 2025 | — |
| Rochon | · Jun 3, 2025 | — |
| Sorter Construction | · Jun 3, 2025 | — |
| Capital Trade | · Jun 2, 2025 | — |
| FLOE Internationa | · Jun 2, 2025 | — |
| Tri-Point Solutions | · May 30, 2025 | — |
| W.E. Bowers | · May 30, 2025 | — |
| Anchor Industries | · May 30, 2025 | — |
| Eliel Cycling | · May 28, 2025 | — |
| KDV Label | · May 28, 2025 | — |
| Frederick's Machine & Tool Shop | · May 26, 2025 | — |
| WAT Supplies | · May 26, 2025 | — |
| Media Links | · May 26, 2025 | — |
| Vernon Milling | · May 23, 2025 | — |
| South Atlantic Federal Credit Union | · May 23, 2025 | — |
| AKJ Energiteknik | · May 23, 2025 | — |
| CNHI LLC | · May 21, 2025 | — |
| AttainX | · May 21, 2025 | — |
| Greater Seattle Concrete | · May 21, 2025 | — |
| K & K Fence | · May 19, 2025 | — |
| Carney Badley Spellman | · May 17, 2025 | — |
| Grafton Technologies | · May 14, 2025 | — |
| Regal Ideas | · May 14, 2025 | — |
| Dishaka | · May 14, 2025 | — |
| Overhead Door of Nova Scotia | · May 12, 2025 | — |
| Operative | · May 12, 2025 | — |
| Just Concrete & Masonry | · May 12, 2025 | — |
| EIZO Rugged Solutions | · May 12, 2025 | — |
| EMX Enterprises | · May 9, 2025 | — |
| Verrex | · May 9, 2025 | — |
| Sweet Shop USA | · May 9, 2025 | — |
| Gistic Research | · May 9, 2025 | — |
| UniTrak | · May 8, 2025 | — |
| ATI Systems | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Novosit | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Downtown Travel | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Rand Technology | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Alberta Construction Safety Association | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Breen Construction Services | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Trybus | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Sugar Lake Lodge | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Marine Technical Surveyors | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Webcor | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Technical Die-Casting | · May 5, 2025 | — |
| Defected Records | · May 1, 2025 | — |
| ECOM America | · May 1, 2025 | — |
| Southern Fidelity | · May 1, 2025 | — |
| Custom Paper | · May 1, 2025 | — |
| The Seydel Companies | · May 1, 2025 | — |
| National Steel City | · May 1, 2025 | — |
In the newsAll →
No articles mention this group yet.