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

March 28, 2026Q2 Artificial Lift Services listed by payloadon the group's public leak site

Sector and geography

This disclosure adds to ransomware activity in the Manufacturing sector, which has 2,458 disclosures indexed across all operators we track. Geographically, Q2 Artificial Lift Services is reported in Canada, a country with 810 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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Q2 Artificial Lift Services

Claimed by payload · listed 2 months ago

53d

Age

since listed · data leaked

Status timeline

Listed
Mar 28, 2026
Data leaked

At a glance

Group: payload
Status: Data leaked
Country: Canada
Sector: Manufacturing
Listed on leak site: Mar 28, 2026

About the victim

AI dossier — public-source company profile

Q2 Artificial Lift Services is a Canadian company operating in the oil and gas services sector, specializing in artificial lift solutions used to enhance production from oil and gas wells. Based on the company name, they likely provide equipment, installation, and maintenance services for artificial lift systems such as rod pumps, electric submersible pumps, and related technologies. No public website was available to confirm further operational details or scale.

Industry: Oilfield Artificial Lift Services

Attack summary

Severity: medium — Data has been published (not merely listed), indicating confirmed exfiltration; however, no details on the nature, volume, or sensitivity of the data are provided, and no regulated or large-scale PII is confirmed, warranting a medium rather than high or critical rating.

The group 'payload' claims to have published data belonging to Q2 Artificial Lift Services, with the disclosure status listed as data_published, indicating exfiltration and release of company data. No specific ransom amount or data size was stated in the post.

medium

What the group claims

Q2 Artificial Lift Services is a leading company specializing in the sales, service, engineering, and manufacturing of down hole rod pumps. With a state-of-the-art facility in Red Deer, Alberta, and over 40 service locations across Canada and the USA, they provide innovative solutions and technical support. Their product range includes various types of rod pumps, production tools, and specialty accessories. Q2 aims to maximize productivity and enhance the operational lifespan of their clients' pumping systems.

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

Leak screenshot for Q2 Artificial Lift Services

Sources

Leak posthttp://payloadrz5yw227brtbvdqpnlhq3rdcdekdnn3rgucbcdeawq2v6vuyd.onion/posts/6c4afbe8-3443-4729-8272-a0138a5370af

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.