Disclosure context

About payload

Based on the limited publicly available information, Payload is an emerging ransomware group first observed in February 2026 with a primarily financial motivation, having targeted 19 documented victims across multiple countries and sectors. The group's origin and affiliations remain unclear, with no documented evidence of their operational structure, country of origin, or whether they operate as a Ransomware-as-a-Service model or independent entity. Their attack methodology, encryption techniques, and specific tools used have not been publicly documented by major cybersecurity firms or law enforcement agencies. The group has demonstrated a diverse targeting approach, focusing primarily on victims in the Philippines, United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, and Dominican Republic, with particular emphasis on manufacturing, agriculture and food production, transportation/logistics, and telecommunication sectors, though the specific campaigns and ransom demands remain undisclosed in public threat intelligence reports. Given the group's recent emergence and limited public documentation, Payload appears to be currently active but remains a relatively obscure threat actor with insufficient publicly available data to establish comprehensive intelligence assessments from major cybersecurity organizations or law enforcement agencies. The group has been linked to 46 public disclosures across our corpus. First observed on a leak site on February 17, 2026; most recent post May 19, 2026. The operation is currently active.

Timeline of this disclosure

April 20, 2026Al Sulaiti Law Firm listed by payloadon the group's public leak site

Sector and geography

This disclosure adds to ransomware activity in the Business Services sector, which has 2,640 disclosures indexed across all operators we track. Geographically, Al Sulaiti Law Firm is reported in QA, a country with 5 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

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Al Sulaiti Law Firm

Claimed by payload · listed 1 month ago

30d

Age

since listed · data leaked

Status timeline

Listed
Apr 20, 2026
Data leaked

At a glance

Group: payload
Status: Data leaked
Country: QA
Sector: Business Services
Listed on leak site: Apr 20, 2026

About the victim

AI dossier — public-source company profile

Al Sulaiti Law Firm is one of the largest law firms in Qatar, established in 2002. The firm offers a broad range of legal services including arbitration, banking, corporate, employment, energy, and intellectual property law. It serves clients with a diverse professional team emphasizing integrity, teamwork, and client satisfaction.

Industry: Legal Services
Address: Qatar
Founded: 2002

Attack summary

Severity: critical — A major law firm holds highly sensitive and privileged client data including financial, corporate, employment, and arbitration records — data that is regulated and confidential by nature. The disclosed status confirms data has been published, meaning exfiltration of legally privileged and potentially PII-containing material is confirmed.

The group 'payload' claims to have attacked Al Sulaiti Law Firm and has published data (disclosed status: data_published), though the leak post does not specify the precise methods used (encryption or exfiltration) or the volume of data involved.

critical

Data the group says was taken

AI dossier — extracted from the leak post

Client legal documents
Arbitration case files
Corporate records
Employment law files
Banking and financial legal records
Intellectual property filings
Internal firm communications

What the group claims

Al Sulaiti Law Firm is one of the largest law firms in Qatar, established in 2002, offering a wide range of legal services including arbitration, banking, corporate, employment, energy, and intellectual property. The firm emphasizes teamwork and collaboration, aiming to build strong relationships with clients to exceed their expectations. With a diverse and innovative team, they provide high-quality professional services tailored to meet the unique needs of their clients. Their commitment to integrity and client satisfaction has earned them recognition and respect in the legal community.

The leak post

captured from the group's site

[ Inteceng.com.my (+ Tsksynergy.com.my + Amemanufacturing.com.my + Woodnova.com.my)  
```
These websites represent a synergistic group of Malaysian companies, such as AME Elite and TSK Synergy, specializing in integrated industrial construction and engineering solutions. They provide end-to-end services, including the design and fabrication of steel structures, mechanical engineering, and the development of large-scale industrial parks. Together, they leverage their combined expertise to deliver "turnkey" manufacturing facilities and infrastructure projects across the region.
```
](http://payloadrz5yw227brtbvdqpnlhq3rdcdekdnn3rgucbcdeawq2v6vuyd.onion/posts/61827d93-eb95-42af-b264-9b84aeecefb7) [ 
```
Gorey Community School is a co-educational, multi-denominational institution located in Gorey, Co. Wexford, under the joint patronage of the Loreto Sisters and Waterford and Wexford ETB
```
](http://payloadrz5yw227brtbvdqpnlhq3rdcdekdnn3rgucbcdeawq2v6vuyd.onion/posts/c9049f7c-de08-4099-a2f7-d8ae8e421682) [ PROM (Peakside Ros Outlet Management)  
```
PROM (Peakside Ros Outlet Management) is a joint venture established by the investment firm Peakside Capital and the operator Ros Retail t…

Screenshot of the leak post

Sources

Leak posthttp://payloadrz5yw227brtbvdqpnlhq3rdcdekdnn3rgucbcdeawq2v6vuyd.onion/posts/38d57f8d-c8a9-4e40-a223-9be16bdced9b

Source

Indexed 1 month 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.