type: incident · created: 2026-08-12 · updated: 2026-08-12 · tags: [incident, ransomware, ransomware-group, blockchain, polygon, smart-contract, extortion] · confidence: high · affected_sectors: [technology, finance, government] · au_impact: false
DeadLock Ransomware Uses Polygon Smart Contracts to Make Extortion Infra Harder to Disrupt
Researchers detail DeadLock, a ransomware operation that has moved parts of its extortion infrastructure onto Polygon blockchain smart contracts, making payment flows and victim-negotiation infrastructure more resilient to traditional takedown.
Summary
DeadLock is a ransomware operation that has moved parts of its extortion infrastructure onto Polygon blockchain smart contracts, making payment flows and victim-negotiation infrastructure more resistant to traditional takedowns. The shift continues a trend of ransomware groups co-opting public blockchains for C2 and payment orchestration, making disruption harder. The digest flags this as professionalising RaaS extortion infrastructure alongside the Gunra and The Gentlemen developments.
Date
- Published: 2026-08-11
Source
- The Hacker News — 2026-08-11