Desolator Ransomware
TrackedThreat actor group tracked in the global ransomware database · Last disclosure: Sep 1, 2025
ThreatAI Analysis
Compiled from the ransomware.live profile for Desolator and from this database. Figures and technique mappings are quoted from the source data, not inferred.
Who Desolator is
Desolator is a ransomware group that emerged in May 2025, targeting construction and engineering firms in Latin America and Europe and technology companies in Asia, actively recruiting pen testers, initial access brokers, and social engineers via dark web forums to build an affiliate program.
Recorded activity
Disclosures attributed to Desolator in this database run from August 2025 to September 2025, totalling 4 victims — 0% of everything tracked here. Desolator has listed victims in 3 countries in this database, most often Colombia, followed by United States and Vietnam. The sectors appearing most in its listings are Construction, Financial Services, Technology.
YARA detection rules
desolator.yar
/*
desolator ransomware
*/
rule desolator_Ransomnote
{
meta:
author = "ransomware.live"
family = "ransomware.desolator"
description = "Detects desolator ransomware ransom note or artifact"
date = "2026-05-04"
severity = 7
score = 70
strings:
$name1 = "desolator" ascii nocase
$name2 = "DESOLATOR" ascii
$onion = "desolator.onion" ascii nocase
condition:
any of them
}Community-contributed rules for Desolator, reproduced as published. Test them against your own corpus before relying on them: rule quality and false-positive behaviour vary by author.
Threat Actor Analysis
Desolator is a ransomware threat group that has disclosed 4 victims in publicly accessible leak site data, representing 0% of all ransomware attacks tracked in this database. The earliest victim disclosure attributed to Desolator in our dataset dates to August 2025.
Geographically, Desolator has targeted organisations in 3 countries. The most frequently targeted nation is Colombia with 2 victim organisations. Other heavily targeted nations include United States, Vietnam.
Industry-wise, Desolator shows a concentration in the Construction, Financial Services, Technology sectors. These industries are frequently targeted because they manage sensitive data, critical operations, or have lower tolerance for operational downtime — conditions that increase ransom payment likelihood.
Like most modern ransomware operations, Desolator likely employs a double extortion model: encrypting victim files while simultaneously exfiltrating data, creating dual pressure to pay the ransom. Victim organisations that refuse payment face having their data published on the group's dark web leak site.
Note: This profile is generated from public leak site disclosures aggregated via the ransomware.live API. Data is updated automatically. The table below lists the 4 most recent of the 4 disclosures we hold for this group; use the link beneath it to page through all of them.
Recent Victim Disclosures (showing 4 of 4)
| # | Organization | Country | Sector | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construseñales S.A. | 🇨🇴 Colombia | Construction | Sep 1, 2025 |
| 2 | LEVEL level.com | 🇺🇸 United States | Financial Services | Sep 1, 2025 |
| 3 | Construcciones Sala construccionessala.com | 🇨🇴 Colombia | Construction | Aug 30, 2025 |
| 4 | Tri Thuc Software banquyenphanmem.vn | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | Technology | Aug 30, 2025 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Desolator ransomware?
Desolator is a ransomware threat group that has claimed 4 victims since its first known activity in August 2025. The group operates by infiltrating target networks, exfiltrating data, encrypting files, and threatening to publish stolen data on a dark web leak site if the ransom is not paid.
How many victims has Desolator attacked?
Desolator has claimed 4 victims in our database, representing 0% of all tracked ransomware attacks. The most targeted countries are Colombia, United States, Vietnam.
Which countries does Desolator target?
Desolator has attacked organizations in 3 countries. The top targeted countries are: Colombia, United States, Vietnam.
Which industries does Desolator target?
Desolator most frequently targets the Construction, Financial Services, Technology sectors based on victim disclosures in our database.
Is Desolator still active?
Desolator's most recent victim disclosure in our database was on September 1, 2025. Ransomware groups frequently rebrand or go dormant; monitor this page and our ransomware map for the latest activity.