BLACK WATER

BLACK WATER is a ransomware group first observed in May 2026 with an apparent financial motivation, though its full operational scope remains limited based on currently available public intelligence. Given the recency of its emergence and the extremely limited victim count of one known case, the group has not yet been the subject of detailed public reporting by major threat intelligence organizations such as CISA, FBI, Mandiant, or comparable security research bodies, and its country of origin, group affiliations, and operational structure — including whether it operates as a Ransomware-as-a-Service platform or as an independent closed group — remain undetermined at this time. The group's known targeting pattern indicates a focus on the non-profit and housing services sector, which may suggest opportunistic targeting of organizations with limited cybersecurity resources rather than a strategically motivated sector-specific campaign, though this assessment is tentative given the single observed victim. No specific details regarding initial access vectors, tooling, encryption methodology, or extortion tactics have been documented in open-source intelligence reporting as of this profile's preparation. With only one confirmed victim and a first observation date of May 2026, BLACK WATER should be considered an emerging or nascent threat actor requiring continued monitoring; its current operational status cannot be definitively characterized as active, dormant, or rebranded pending further corroborating intelligence from law enforcement or security research communities.