Disclosure context

About INC Ransom

INC Ransom is a financially motivated ransomware group that emerged in September 2021 and has since compromised 832 known victims across multiple sectors. The group's origin and specific affiliations remain undocumented in public threat intelligence reports, though their operational patterns suggest they likely operate as an independent entity rather than a formal Ransomware-as-a-Service model. While detailed attack methodologies for INC Ransom have not been extensively documented by major security firms, their victim distribution indicates they employ broad-spectrum targeting approaches that have successfully penetrated healthcare, technology, business services, and manufacturing organizations. The group demonstrates a preference for targeting English-speaking countries, with the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom representing their primary victim demographics, alongside significant activity in Germany and Australia. Notable campaigns or high-profile attacks by INC Ransom have not been prominently featured in major threat intelligence publications from CISA, FBI, or leading security researchers, suggesting they may operate with a lower public profile despite their substantial victim count. INC Ransom remains active as of current intelligence assessments, with no documented law enforcement disruptions or confirmed rebranding efforts. The group has been linked to 836 public disclosures across our corpus. First observed on a leak site on September 9, 2021; most recent post May 20, 2026. The operation is currently active.

Also tracked as: INC.

Timeline of this disclosure

March 26, 2026ETFSA listed by INC Ransomon the group's public leak site

Sector and geography

This disclosure adds to ransomware activity in the Not Found sector, which has 4,859 disclosures indexed across all operators we track. Geographically, ETFSA is reported in South Africa, a country with 11 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

ETFSA

Claimed by INC Ransom · listed 2 months ago

55d

Age

since listed · data leaked

Status timeline

Listed
Mar 26, 2026
Data leaked

At a glance

Group: INC Ransom
Status: Data leaked
Country: South Africa
Sector: Not Found
Listed on leak site: Mar 26, 2026

About the victim

AI dossier — public-source company profile

ETFSA (etfsa.co.za) is a South African financial services platform specialising in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). It provides individuals with access to diversified, low-cost investment options across various sectors, indices, and asset classes, along with educational resources and portfolio management tools. The platform also supports tax-free savings accounts and retirement accounts for long-term wealth building.

Industry: Financial Services & Investment Platforms (ETFs)
Address: South Africa

Attack summary

Severity: critical — The group claims imminent full publication of personal and confidential client data from a regulated financial services platform, which almost certainly includes PII and regulated financial account data at scale (investors, TFSA and retirement account holders), meeting the threshold for critical severity.

INC Ransom claims to have exfiltrated confidential and personal client data from ETFSA and states that all such data will be published imminently, citing the named contact Mike Brown as the responsible party who failed to act on the threat.

critical

Data the group says was taken

AI dossier — extracted from the leak post

Personal client data
Confidential client records
Investment account information
Tax-free savings account data
Retirement account data

What the group claims

ETFSA.co.za is a South African financial services platform specializing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). It offers a wide range of investment options, allowing individuals to invest in various sectors, indices, and asset classes through low-cost, diversified ETFs. The platform provides educational resources, investment solutions, and tools to help investors manage their portfolios effectively. ETFSA also supports tax-free savings accounts (TFSA) and retirement accounts, making it accessible for long-term wealth building ETFSA.co.za became the target of a cyberattack, and all confidential and personal client data will be published soon. Mike Brown did not worry about the security of his clients' data; he had the opportunity to ensure the safety of such sensitive data, but he preferred to stay on the sidelines. +27 82 653 5645 (m) Mike Brown

Source

Indexed 2 months 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.