Disclosure context

About lapsus$

Lapsus$ is a financially motivated cybercriminal group that emerged in December 2021, gaining notoriety for their aggressive extortion tactics and high-profile targeting of major corporations and government entities. The group is believed to have originated from South America, particularly Brazil, with suspected ties to young hackers operating independently rather than as a traditional ransomware-as-a-service operation, though they have demonstrated sophisticated coordination and insider recruitment capabilities. Lapsus$ primarily relies on social engineering techniques, SIM swapping, and insider threats to gain initial access to target networks, often recruiting employees through bribes or coercion rather than relying on traditional malware delivery methods, and they frequently employ data theft and public leak tactics for extortion rather than always deploying encryption-based ransomware. The group has conducted notable attacks against major technology companies including Microsoft, Nvidia, Samsung, and Okta, as well as targeting organizations across France, the United States, Brazil, Germany, and Canada, with a particular focus on consumer services, education, government facilities, and critical manufacturing sectors, leading to significant law enforcement attention and arrests of suspected members. Following arrests of key members by Brazilian and UK authorities in 2022, the group's activity has significantly diminished, though some security researchers suggest remnants may still be operational under different identities. The group has been linked to 21 public disclosures across our corpus. First observed on a leak site on December 10, 2021; most recent post May 10, 2026. The operation is currently active.

Timeline of this disclosure

March 1, 2026Adidas listed by lapsus$on the group's public leak site

Sector and geography

This disclosure adds to ransomware activity in the Consumer Services sector, which has 396 disclosures indexed across all operators we track. Geographically, Adidas is reported in Germany, a country with 695 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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Adidas

Claimed by lapsus$ · listed 3 months ago

Age

since listed · data leaked

Status timeline

Listed
Mar 1, 2026
Data leaked

At a glance

Group: lapsus$
Status: Data leaked
Country: Germany
Sector: Consumer Services
Listed on leak site: Mar 1, 2026

About the victim

AI dossier — public-source company profile

Adidas AG is a German multinational corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, founded by Adolf Dassler in 1949. The company designs and manufactures sports apparel, footwear, and accessories including football kits, running shoes, training gear, and streetwear. It is one of the largest sportswear manufacturers in the world, operating globally across performance and lifestyle segments.

Industry: Sportswear & Athletic Apparel
Address: Adi-Dassler-Straße 1, 91074 Herzogenaurach, Germany
Employees: 50000+
Founded: 1949

Attack summary

Severity: low — The leak post is flagged as AI-generated, contains no proof files, no specific stolen data description, no ransom demand, and no operational impact claimed. There is insufficient evidence to elevate beyond a bare listing/announcement.

Lapsus$ claims to have attacked Adidas with data published status indicated; however, the leak post contains no specific claims of encryption or exfiltration, no data inventory, no proof files, and no ransom demand, suggesting the post may be unverified or fabricated.

low

Original description

AI-summarised, not from the leak post

Adidas is a renowned German multinational corporation that specializes in sports apparel, shoes, and accessories. Founded by Adolf Dassler in 1949, its headquarters located in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The company is globally recognized for its performance and lifestyle products, including football kits, running shoes, training gear and streetwear. Today, Adidas stands as one of the leading sports brands worldwide.

Source

Indexed 3 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.