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Ransomware Victim Technology

Merge

Ransomware attack by Direwolf · Disclosed August 10, 2026 · 🇺🇸 United States

merge.money

Date Disclosed
Aug 10, 2026
2026
Threat Group
Direwolf
135 total victims
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Industry
Technology

ThreatAI Analysis

Compiled from this incident record and the threat intelligence profile for Direwolf. Figures and technique mappings are quoted from the source data, not inferred.

About the Direwolf group

Dire Wolf is a sophisticated human-operated ransomware group first documented in May 2025, written in Golang using Curve25519/ChaCha20 encryption, targeting manufacturing and technology sectors across 13+ countries with ransoms up to $500,000, operated by a tight core team rather than a broad affiliate program. Direwolf has listed 131 victims since April 2025.

Vulnerabilities Direwolf is recorded exploiting

5 of these 5 are in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, 5 of them recorded by CISA as used in ransomware campaigns. CVEs attributed to Direwolf across its reported activity. There is no indication that any of these was involved in the Merge incident — the source data does not record an entry point.

Incident Analysis

Merge was targeted by Direwolf ransomware, one of the most active ransomware groups in our database with 135 confirmed victims globally. The attack was disclosed on August 10, 2026, when Merge appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Merge is based in United States , operating in the Technology sector. United States ranks #1 globally for ransomware attacks, with 9,477 victims in our database.

Sector context: Technology companies hold intellectual property, customer data, and source code — all highly valuable assets. A successful ransomware attack can also put downstream customers at risk through supply chain exposure.

Direwolf typically employs a double extortion model: first exfiltrating sensitive data from the victim's systems, then deploying ransomware to encrypt files. Victims face two simultaneous threats — paying to restore access and paying to prevent publication of stolen data. The group's leak site publishes victim names and exfiltrated data as leverage.

Data source: This incident record is sourced from public ransomware group leak site disclosures aggregated via the ransomware.live API. Disclosure date reflects when the victim was published on the leak site, which may differ from the initial date of compromise. This platform does not publish or link to stolen data. Last data update: Sep 13, 2026 14:00 UTC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Merge attacked by ransomware?

Yes. Merge was listed as a victim of the Direwolf ransomware group on August 10, 2026. The organisation is based in United States and operates in the Technology sector. The disclosure appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Which ransomware group attacked Merge?

Merge was attacked by Direwolf ransomware. Direwolf is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 135 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the Merge ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on Merge was disclosed on August 10, 2026. This date reflects when the victim was published on the threat group's leak site, which may differ from the actual date of initial compromise.

What data was stolen in the Merge ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from Merge has not been independently verified by this platform. Ransomware groups typically exfiltrate data before encrypting systems and use the threat of publication to pressure victims. As a Technology organisation, Merge likely held source code, intellectual property, and customer data.

How can organisations protect against Direwolf attacks?

To defend against Direwolf and similar threat actors, organisations should: maintain regular offline backups tested for restoration; implement network segmentation to limit lateral movement; deploy multi-factor authentication on all remote access; use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools; conduct regular phishing and security awareness training; and monitor threat intelligence feeds for indicators of compromise (IOCs) associated with active groups.