Disclosure context

About Play

**Overview:** Play (also known as PlayCrypt) is a financially motivated ransomware group that emerged in late 2022, conducting targeted attacks against organizations across multiple sectors with a focus on financial extortion. **Origin & Affiliation:** The group's country of origin remains unclear based on public reporting, though they appear to operate independently rather than as a traditional ransomware-as-a-service model. **Attack Methodology:** Play ransomware operators typically gain initial access through compromised Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) credentials and exploit valid accounts, then move laterally through networks using tools like Cobalt Strike before deploying their custom ransomware payload. The group employs double extortion tactics, stealing sensitive data before encryption and threatening to publish it on their leak site if ransom demands are not met. **Notable Campaigns:** According to CISA advisories, Play has targeted over 300 entities globally since its emergence, with significant impacts on critical infrastructure sectors including healthcare, education, and government services, though specific ransom amounts and individual victim details vary in public reporting. **Current Status:** Play remains an active threat as of 2024, continuing to target organizations primarily in North America and Europe according to ongoing security researcher observations and law enforcement warnings. The group has been linked to 1,276 public disclosures across our corpus. First observed on a leak site on November 26, 2022; most recent post May 20, 2026. The operation is currently active.

Also tracked as: PlayCrypt.

Timeline of this disclosure

May 7, 2026Specflue listed by Playon the group's public leak site

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

Specflue

Claimed by Play · listed 13 days ago

13d

Age

since listed · listed for ransom

Status timeline

Listed
May 7, 2026

Current state: Listed for ransom

At a glance

Group: Play
Status: Listed for ransom
Listed on leak site: May 7, 2026

About the victim

AI dossier — public-source company profile

Specflue is a UK-based distributor and supplier of flue systems, chimney products, and ventilation solutions, primarily serving heating engineers, installers, and the construction trade. The company is known in the UK market for stocking a wide range of flue liner systems, stove accessories, and related products. No further verifiable details on headcount or founding date are available from the leak post.

Industry: Flue, Chimney & Ventilation Products Distribution

Attack summary

Severity: low — The post is a listing/announcement only with no stated data exfiltration, no ransom demand, no proof files, and no description of operational impact. View count (~7933) is consistent with other listed victims and does not indicate escalation.

The Play ransomware group has listed Specflue as a victim on their leak site. No specific claims regarding encryption, exfiltration volume, or data types have been stated in the post excerpt provided.

low

The leak post

captured from the group's site

| Play ransomware HAS NEVER PROVIDED AND DOES NOT PROVIDE THE RaaS, read the FAQ page.WE NEVER WRITES FIRST, IF SOMEONE WRITES TO YOU, THEY ARE SCAMMERS.we'll buy your access: 75tkvxemb6zpyk3fbl3mwm32jklc2sdjacb3kazrioamopbfn2w2z5qd.onionIf we have not responded to you by email within 12 hours, please leave your contact information on the website in the contact tab. |  
| --- |  
| EMA Engineering & Consulting👁️ views: 97added: 2026-05-07publication date: 2026-05-11   | Accessoires Outillage Ltee👁️ views: 61added: 2026-05-07publication date: 2026-05-11   | K & E Distributing👁️ views: 68added: 2026-05-07publication date: 2026-05-11   |  
| Sokolin👁️ views: 7058   | Barnes Solicitors LLP👁️ views: 6979   | Witt UK Group👁️ views: 7980   |  
| Valley Plating Inc👁️ views: 7995   | Dock Pros👁️ views: 7977   | Kivells👁️ views: 7944   |  
| Specflue👁️ views: 7933   | Weber Kracht & Chellew👁️ views: 7977   | Lucky Look👁️ views: 8078   |

Sources

Leak posthttp://k7kg3jqxang3wh7hnmaiokchk7qoebupfgoik6rha6mjpzwupwtj25yd.onion/

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.