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 16, 2026Franziskusschule Wilhelmshaven listed by payloadon the group's public leak site

Sector and geography

This disclosure adds to ransomware activity in the Education sector, which has 694 disclosures indexed across all operators we track. Geographically, Franziskusschule Wilhelmshaven is reported in DE, a country with 333 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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Franziskusschule Wilhelmshaven

Claimed by payload · listed 1 month ago

34d

Age

since listed · data leaked

Status timeline

Listed
Apr 16, 2026
Data leaked

At a glance

Group: payload
Status: Data leaked
Country: DE
Sector: Education
Listed on leak site: Apr 16, 2026

About the victim

AI dossier — public-source company profile

Franziskusschule Wilhelmshaven is a Catholic/Franciscan-affiliated school located in Wilhelmshaven, a city on the North Sea coast in Lower Saxony, northern Germany. As a faith-based educational institution, it combines academic instruction with values rooted in the tradition of Saint Francis of Assisi, emphasising community and social responsibility. No further operational details are available from public sources.

Industry: Primary & Secondary Education (Catholic School)
Address: Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony, Germany

Attack summary

Severity: high — Data is listed as published (data_published), meaning exfiltration and release have occurred. As a school, the victim likely holds regulated PII for minors — including student records — which constitutes sensitive personal data under GDPR and German data-protection law, elevating severity despite the absence of quantified proof files.

The ransomware group 'payload' claims to have attacked Franziskusschule Wilhelmshaven and lists the disclosure status as data_published, indicating exfiltration and publication of data; however, the leak post provides no specific detail on the nature or volume of data stolen or whether encryption occurred.

high

Data the group says was taken

AI dossier — extracted from the leak post

School administrative records
Student personal data (probable)
Staff personal data (probable)

What the group claims

Franziskusschule Wilhelmshaven is a school located in Wilhelmshaven, a city in northern Germany on the North Sea coast. The name “Franziskusschule” indicates that it is a Franciscan or Catholic school, often inspired by the values of Saint Francis of Assisi, emphasizing community, social responsibility, and moral education alongside academic learning.

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 Franziskusschule Wilhelmshaven

Sources

Leak posthttp://payloadrz5yw227brtbvdqpnlhq3rdcdekdnn3rgucbcdeawq2v6vuyd.onion/posts/7c90fc7c-33c6-4fbe-913c-b43b396b278a

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.