Disclosure context

About Dragonforce

Dragonforce is a relatively new ransomware group that emerged in December 2023, operating with apparent financial motivations based on their targeting patterns and victim selection. The group's origin and potential affiliations remain unclear due to limited public documentation from established threat intelligence sources, though their rapid accumulation of 439 documented victims suggests either sophisticated capabilities or possible connections to existing ransomware infrastructure. Based on their targeting patterns across diverse sectors including manufacturing, business services, technology, and construction, Dragonforce appears to employ opportunistic attack methodologies, though specific initial access vectors, encryption methods, and extortion tactics have not been publicly detailed by major security firms or law enforcement agencies. The group has demonstrated a preference for targeting organizations primarily in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, with the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Italy representing their most frequent victim locations, suggesting possible language capabilities or geographic operational preferences. As of current reporting, Dragonforce appears to remain active given their recent emergence and ongoing victim acquisition, though the lack of detailed public analysis from major threat intelligence organizations indicates either operational security measures that have limited researcher visibility or that the group has not yet conducted sufficiently high-profile attacks to warrant extensive public documentation by CISA, FBI, or established security research firms. The group has been linked to 537 public disclosures across our corpus. First observed on a leak site on December 13, 2023; most recent post May 20, 2026. The operation is currently active.

Timeline of this disclosure

May 7, 2026Cult Wines listed by Dragonforceon the group's public leak site

Data size: 308509929472
Ransom demanded: $4

Sector and geography

This disclosure adds to ransomware activity in the Wine/Beverages sector. Geographically, Cult Wines is reported in United Kingdom, a country with 902 ransomware disclosures in our corpus.

How we know this. Darkfield monitors public ransomware leak sites continuously, archiving every new disclosure and the data later released against the victim. Each entry on this page is sourced from the operator's own publication and cross-checked against complementary OSINT feeds (RansomLook, ransomware.live, RansomWatch). We do not collect or host stolen data — only the metadata, timestamps and screenshots needed to make the public disclosure searchable and accountable. Records here are corrected when the original post is edited, retracted, or merged with another disclosure.

Ransomware victim disclosure

← All victims

Cult Wines

Claimed by Dragonforce · listed 13 days ago

308509929472

Data size

Ransom

demanded

13d

Age

since listed · listed for ransom

Status timeline

Listed
May 7, 2026

Current state: Listed for ransom

At a glance

Group: Dragonforce
Status: Listed for ransom
Country: United Kingdom
Sector: Wine/Beverages
Listed on leak site: May 7, 2026
Data size: 308509929472
Ransom demanded: $4

About the victim

AI dossier — public-source company profile

Cult Wines is a UK-based fine wine platform that combines expertise, digital technology, and a globalised infrastructure to transform how consumers buy, sell, invest in, and collect fine wines. Through its Cult Wine Investment arm, the company offers portfolio-based wine investment services blending heritage with data-driven technology. It serves producers, collectors, investors, and consumers across multiple international markets including the UK, US, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Industry: Fine Wine Investment & Trading Platform

Attack summary

Severity: high — Approximately 308 GB of data is claimed exfiltrated from a financial services/investment platform handling client portfolios and wine assets; likely to include client PII, financial account data, and transaction records, constituting significant sensitive business and potentially regulated financial data.

DragonForce claims to have exfiltrated approximately 308 GB of data from Cult Wines, with the victim listed on their leak site ahead of a stated publication deadline of 2026-05-09. The post does not explicitly confirm encryption, focusing on data exfiltration and an imminent publication threat.

high

Data the group says was taken

AI dossier — extracted from the leak post

Exfiltrated company data (~308 GB)

What the group claims

Cult Wines is revolutionizing the fine wine industry by leveraging expertise, digital platforms, and innovative technology to enhance the buying, selling, investing, and collecting experience for producers and consumers. Their services support the entire life cycle of fine wine, ensuring transparency and secure transactions. Recognizing fine wine as a unique investment, Cult Wine Investment provides clients with a wealth of possibilities, combining heritage with cutting-edge technology to enrich portfolios and enhance lives. Targeting both new generations of wine drinkers and seasoned collectors, Cult Wines aims to build a global community around fine wine appreciation.

The leak post

captured from the group's site

```
{"data":{"count":481,"publications":[{"uuid":"282416b0-8ad9-4980-a147-7bc506476190","created_at":"2026-05-04T10:59:12.451753Z","name":"Cult Wines","website":"cultwines.com","address":"www.cultwines.com","description":"Cult Wines is revolutionizing the fine wine industry by leveraging expertise, digital platforms, and innovative technology to enhance the buying, selling, investing, and collecting experience for producers and consumers. Their services support the entire life cycle of fine wine, ensuring transparency and secure transactions. Recognizing fine wine as a unique investment, Cult Wine Investment provides clients with a wealth of possibilities, combining heritage with cutting-edge technology to enrich portfolios and enhance lives. Targeting both new generations of wine drinkers and seasoned collectors, Cult Wines aims to build a global community around fine wine appreciation.","weight":308509929472,"is_timer_publication_stopped":false,"timer_publication":"2026-05-09T07:48:00Z","try_again":false,"tags":[],"logo_uuid":"4a447086-5796-40e1-9a66-a4a2900e7d62","is_transfering":false},{"uuid":"46716f4a-c0e6-42b4-abba-bb9025de4ef7","created_at":"2026-04-27T16:20:14.224783Z","na…

Sources

Victim sitecultwines.com
Leak posthttp://z3wqggtxft7id3ibr7srivv5gjof5fwg76slewnzwwakjuf3nlhukdid.onion/api/guest/blog/posts?page=1

Source

Indexed 13 days ago

This page surfaces a public ransomware disclosure indexed by Darkfield. Original posts come from the operator's own leak site; we cross-check against ransomware.live, RansomLook and RansomWatch where applicable. Share this URL freely.