Description

Dark Project is an emerging financially motivated ransomware operation that has reportedly claimed 38 victims across eight countries. Manufacturing accounts for 12 victims, healthcare seven, and construction four, making manufacturing and healthcare responsible for half the reported dataset. The United States leads with 30 victims, followed by the United Kingdom with two, while Germany, Brazil, the Philippines, Turkey, Mexico, and Canada each account for one. These figures represent allegations published on criminal leak sites, not independently confirmed breaches. Ransomware.live lists 40 victims, highlighting variations across collection periods. The supplied timeline records four disclosures in June 2026, 20 in August, five in September, five in October, and four in November. However, public trackers identify August as the group's emergence or first observed activity, leaving the earlier timeline uncorroborated. According to Gurucul researchers, Dark Project advertises an 80% affiliate commission, retaining 20% for platform operations. Its ransomware-as-a-service model includes affiliate recruitment, vetting, onboarding, payload deployment, and commission settlement. Operators reportedly handle victim communications and ransom negotiations, while affiliates conduct intrusions. Dark Project follows a double-extortion model, combining sensitive-data theft with system encryption and threats to publish stolen information through a Tor-based leak portal. Bitcoin is advertised for ransom settlement, while Coinbase and Binance are mentioned only as purchasing options, not as participants or endorsers. Reported initial access methods include phishing, exposed Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), compromised credentials, and VPN access obtained through infostealer logs or access brokers. Its reported MITRE ATT&CK techniques include WMI, SMB, credential abuse, data exfiltration, encryption, and recovery inhibition. These operational details remain intelligence-source or operator claims rather than independently verified capabilities.