RansomEXX is a financially motivated ransomware operation that emerged in May 2020, targeting organizations across multiple sectors with a focus on extracting ransom payments through encryption and data theft tactics. The group is believed to operate independently rather than as a Ransomware-as-a-Service model, with suspected ties to Russian-speaking cybercriminals based on code analysis and operational patterns observed by security researchers. RansomEXX operators typically gain initial access through exploiting public-facing applications, particularly targeting vulnerable VPN appliances and remote desktop services, before deploying their custom ransomware payload which uses strong encryption algorithms and is often preceded by data exfiltration to enable double extortion schemes where stolen data is threatened to be publicly released if ransom demands are not met. The group has been responsible for several high-profile attacks including incidents against government entities and major corporations, with documented cases involving ransoms in the millions of dollars, though specific victim details are often kept confidential by affected organizations. Based on recent threat intelligence reporting, RansomEXX continues to maintain active operations as of 2024, with ongoing campaigns targeting the technology and healthcare sectors primarily in the United States and Europe. The group has been linked to 85 public disclosures across our corpus. First observed on a leak site on May 14, 2020; most recent post April 17, 2026. The operation is currently inactive.
Also tracked as: Ransom X, Defray777, Defray-777, Defray 2018.
Sector and geography
This disclosure adds to ransomware activity in the Not Found sector, which has 4,859 disclosures indexed across all operators we track. Geographically, Grupo Vargas is reported in Venezuela, a country with 2 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.
