Disclosure context

About Cactus

**Overview:** Cactus is a ransomware group that emerged in July 2023, primarily motivated by financial gain through double extortion tactics targeting organizations across multiple sectors. The group has demonstrated rapid expansion, compromising 552 known victims within its first year of operation. **Origin & Affiliation:** Limited public information exists regarding Cactus's country of origin or specific affiliations with other ransomware groups, though their targeting patterns and operational methods suggest they operate as an independent entity rather than a Ransomware-as-a-Service model. **Attack Methodology:** Cactus ransomware operators employ double extortion tactics, stealing sensitive data before encrypting victim systems and threatening to leak the information if ransom demands are not met. The group appears to focus on gaining initial access through common vectors such as compromised credentials and vulnerable internet-facing applications, followed by lateral movement and data exfiltration prior to deployment of their encryption payload. **Notable Campaigns:** While specific high-profile incidents have not been extensively documented by major security agencies, the group's victim count of 552 organizations within approximately one year indicates sustained and aggressive targeting campaigns across North America and Europe. Their focus on manufacturing and business services sectors suggests deliberate targeting of organizations likely to pay ransoms due to operational dependencies. **Current Status:** Cactus remains an active ransomware threat as of late 2024, continuing to target organizations primarily in the United States, Canada, and European countries with no reported law enforcement disruptions or confirmed dissolution of their operations. The group has been linked to 552 public disclosures across our corpus. First observed on a leak site on July 20, 2023; most recent post March 21, 2025. The operation is currently inactive.

Timeline of this disclosure

March 12, 2025urban1.com listed by Cactuson the group's public leak site

Ransom demanded: $460.3M

Sector and geography

This disclosure adds to ransomware activity in the Technology sector, which has 2,524 disclosures indexed across all operators we track. Geographically, urban1.com is reported in United States, a country with 7,392 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

urban1.com

Claimed by Cactus · listed 1 year ago

$460.3M

Ransom

demanded

14m

Age

since listed · data leaked

Status timeline

Listed
Mar 12, 2025
Data leaked

At a glance

Group: Cactus
Status: Data leaked
Country: United States
Sector: Technology
Listed on leak site: Mar 12, 2025
Ransom demanded: $460.3M
Estimated revenue: $460.3M

What the group claims

Broadcasting.“Urban One, Inc. is a publicly traded media company that primarily serves African American audiences. Founded in 1980 by Cathy Hughes, Urban One is the largest African American-owned and operated broadcast company in the United States.”Website: https://urban1.com/Revenue : $460.3MAddress: 1010 Wayne Ave Fl 14, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910, United StatesPhone Number: (301) 429-3200Download link #1: <a href="https://6wuivqgrv2g7brcwhjw5co3vligiqowpumzkcyebku7i2busrvlxnzid.onion/URBAN1/PROOF/">https://6wuivqgrv2g7brcwhjw5co3vligiqowpumzkcyebku7i2busrvlxnzid.onion/URBAN1/PROOF/</a>Mirror: <a href="https://cactus5dqnqkppa5ayckiyk6dttpqwczdqphv5mxh4dkk5ct544q5aad.onion/URBAN1/PROOF/">https://cactus5dqnqkppa5ayckiyk6dttpqwczdqphv5mxh4dkk5ct544q5aad.onion/URBAN1/PROOF/</a>DATA DESCRIPTIONS: Personal identifiable information, database backups, corporate internal documents, contracts, agreements, financial data\payroll, legal documents, employees and executives personal data, corporate confidential and personal correspondence, etc.<img src="/uploads/C_Hughes_93f9a363fa.png" alt="C. Hughes.png"><img src="/uploads/May_23_2023_Executive_Committee_Meeting_Minutes_Draft_17b95a22d9.png" alt="May 23 2023 Executive Committee Meeting Minutes (Draft).png"><img src="/uploads/Radio_One_Lease_5303_G2_Glenmont_final_80581afe89.png" alt="Radio One Lease 5303 G2 Glenmont final.png"><img src="/uploads/Copy_of_working_OAR_2023_Q1_Consolidated_Income_Statement_0f9ae862c4.png" alt="Copy of working_OAR 2023.Q1 Consolidated Income Statement.png"><img src="/uploads/Ashanti_at_The_Met_Philadelphia_2024_05_19_Contract_104353_Rider_FINAL_69_1_dc0fce44dd.png" alt="Ashanti at The Met Philadelphia 2024-05-19 Contract 104353 Rider FINAL 69 (1).png">

Sources

Victim siteurban1.com
Leak posthttps://cactusbloguuodvqjmnzlwetjlpj6aggc6iocwhuupb47laukux7ckid.onion/posts/Urban1

Source

Indexed 1 year 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.