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Turner and Townsend

Ransomware attack by Coinbasecartel · Disclosed August 14, 2026 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

turnerandtownsend.com

Date Disclosed
Aug 14, 2026
2026
Threat Group
Coinbasecartel
208 total victims
Country
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Industry
Professional Services

ThreatAI Analysis

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

Coinbasecartel listed consultancy firm Turner and Townsend on its dark web leak site on 14 August 2026. Based in the United Kingdom, Turner and Townsend operates in the Professional Services sector.

About the Coinbasecartel group

CoinbaseCartel specializes in data acquisition through system access and strategic partnerships. It focus exclusively on data exfiltration—our operations never involve system encryption or operational disruption. Coinbasecartel has listed 186 victims since May 2023.

How Coinbasecartel is documented to operate

Replication Through Removable Media T1091 Lateral Movement Initial Access

Adversaries may move onto systems, possibly those on disconnected or air-gapped networks, by copying malware to removable media and taking advantage of Autorun features when the media is inserted into a system and executes. In the case of Lateral Movement, this may occur through modification of executable files stored on removable media or by copying malware and renaming it to look like a legitimate file to trick users into executing it on a separate system. In the case of Initial Access, this may occur through manual manipulation of the media, modification of systems used to initially format the media, or modification to the media's firmware itself.

Mitigations: Limit Hardware Installation, Behavior Prevention on Endpoint, Disable or Remove Feature or Program

MITRE ATT&CK reference →
External Remote Services T1133 Persistence Initial Access

Adversaries may leverage external-facing remote services to initially access and/or persist within a network. Remote services such as VPNs, Citrix, and other access mechanisms allow users to connect to internal enterprise network resources from external locations. There are often remote service gateways that manage connections and credential authentication for these services. Services such as Windows Remote Management and VNC can also be used externally. Access to Valid Accounts to use the service is often a requirement, which could be obtained through credential pharming or by obtaining the credentials from users after compromising the enterprise network.

Mitigations: Limit Access to Resource Over Network, Restrict Web-Based Content, Network Segmentation, Multi-factor Authentication, Disable or Remove Feature or Program

MITRE ATT&CK reference →

MITRE ATT&CK techniques attributed to Coinbasecartel across its recorded activity, not a finding about how Turner and Townsend was reached.

Incident Analysis

Turner and Townsend was targeted by Coinbasecartel ransomware, one of the most active ransomware groups in our database with 208 confirmed victims globally. The attack was disclosed on August 14, 2026, when Turner and Townsend appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Turner and Townsend is based in United Kingdom , operating in the Professional Services sector. United Kingdom ranks #4 globally for ransomware attacks, with 892 victims in our database.

Sector context: Organisations in this sector hold valuable data and operational systems that ransomware groups seek to exploit for financial gain through encryption and data exfiltration.

Coinbasecartel 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 6, 2026 14:00 UTC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Turner and Townsend attacked by ransomware?

Yes. Turner and Townsend was listed as a victim of the Coinbasecartel ransomware group on August 14, 2026. The organisation is based in United Kingdom and operates in the Professional Services sector. The disclosure appeared on the group's dark web leak site.

Which ransomware group attacked Turner and Townsend?

Turner and Townsend was attacked by Coinbasecartel ransomware. Coinbasecartel is one of the most active ransomware groups, having claimed 208 victims globally. The group typically employs a double-extortion model: encrypting the victim's files and threatening to publish stolen data.

When did the Turner and Townsend ransomware attack occur?

The ransomware attack on Turner and Townsend was disclosed on August 14, 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 Turner and Townsend ransomware attack?

The specific data stolen from Turner and Townsend 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 Professional Services organisation, Turner and Townsend likely held sensitive business data, client information, and operational records.

How can organisations protect against Coinbasecartel attacks?

To defend against Coinbasecartel 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.