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, 2026Sunlight Express Airways listed by payloadon the group's public leak site

Sector and geography

This disclosure adds to ransomware activity in the Transportation/Logistics sector, which has 847 disclosures indexed across all operators we track. Geographically, Sunlight Express Airways is reported in Philippines, a country with 6 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

← All victims

Sunlight Air

listed as Sunlight Express Airways · 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: Philippines
Sector: Transportation/Logistics
Listed on leak site: Apr 16, 2026

About the victim

AI dossier — public-source company profile

Sunlight Air is a Philippine regional airline offering affordable flights to popular island destinations including Cebu, Coron, Boracay, Siquijor, and Siargao. The airline provides private charters, vacation packages, and a loyalty program called Sunlight Miles, targeting both leisure and business travelers. It focuses on expanding flight frequencies and routes across the Philippines.

Industry: Regional Airline / Aviation

Attack summary

Severity: high — Data has been published by the threat actor, indicating confirmed exfiltration. An airline's data likely contains PII of passengers (names, travel itineraries, contact and payment details, loyalty program accounts) at potentially significant scale, warranting a high severity rating even without an explicit data size figure.

The group 'payload' claims to have attacked Sunlight Express Airways (Sunlight Air) and has published data, though no specific data size or ransom was stated. The disclosure status is listed as data_published, indicating exfiltration and release of company data.

high

Data the group says was taken

AI dossier — extracted from the leak post

Passenger records
Booking and reservation data
Loyalty program (Sunlight Miles) member data
Charter and vacation package records
Potentially employee data

What the group claims

Sunlight Air offers affordable flights to popular Philippine island destinations such as Cebu, Coron, Boracay, Siquijor, and Siargao. The airline provides various services including private charters, vacation packages, and a loyalty program called Sunlight Miles. Targeting both leisure and business travelers, Sunlight Air aims to enhance the travel experience with exclusive passenger perks and flexible booking options. With a commitment to expanding flight frequencies and routes, the company continues to facilitate convenient travel across the Philippines.

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…

Sources

Leak posthttp://payloadrz5yw227brtbvdqpnlhq3rdcdekdnn3rgucbcdeawq2v6vuyd.onion/posts/b4c9d63d-2827-4bb9-b1b9-edf84f780a74

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.