Merrimack County Ransomware Claim by Booba Project (Sep 2026)

Claim Summary

On or around September 23, 2026, the ransomware group known as Booba Project allegedly listed The Merrimack County on its dark web leak site. According to the threat actor, the target is a United States government and defense sector entity operating under the domain www.merrimackcounty.net. The group claims to have stolen approximately 3 GB of data, which it describes as “Government Administration” material.

This claim has not been independently verified by Yazoul Security or, to our knowledge, by any third party. The listing’s appearance on a leak site does not confirm that data was actually exfiltrated, that encryption occurred, or that the claimed volume is accurate. Ransomware operators frequently post victims preemptively or inflate claims to increase pressure during negotiations.

Threat Actor Profile

Booba Project is a ransomware operation with limited public documentation. At the time of writing, the group’s total number of known victims is unknown, and no public research references, tooling breakdowns, or established tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) are available in open sources.

Because the group’s known tools are undocumented, we cannot attribute specific malware families, initial access vectors, or exfiltration utilities to this incident. Analysts should treat any tooling assumptions as speculative. Where detection engineering is concerned, no YARA rules or vendor signatures specific to Booba Project are currently published. Defenders are advised to rely on generic ransomware detection guidance - including monitoring for mass file modification, unusual archive creation, and anomalous outbound data transfers - rather than actor-specific signatures.

The absence of a track record cuts both ways. It may indicate a newer or low-volume operation, or it may reflect a group that deliberately avoids public research attention. Neither possibility should be treated as confirmation of capability or intent.

Alleged Data Exposure

The threat actor claims to hold 3 GB of data categorized as government administration records. No data samples, file listings, or proof-of-exfiltration artifacts have been reviewed by Yazoul Security. We have not reproduced, linked to, or accessed any leaked material, and we will not do so.

If the claim is accurate, a 3 GB dataset is relatively modest by ransomware standards and could correspond to documents, internal correspondence, or administrative records rather than large databases. However, this is inference only. The actual contents, sensitivity, and whether the data belongs to Merrimack County at all remain unconfirmed.

Potential Impact

Should the claim prove genuine, potential consequences for a county government could include operational disruption to administrative services, exposure of internal communications, regulatory and notification obligations, and reputational harm. Government entities also face heightened scrutiny because public trust and continuity of services are directly at stake.

It is equally possible that the claim is exaggerated, recycled, or entirely false. Some actors repost old data, misattribute victims, or list organizations that never engaged with them. Until Merrimack County or an independent investigator confirms the incident, impact assessment remains hypothetical.

What to Watch For

• Official statements from Merrimack County or state authorities confirming or denying an incident.
• Filing of breach notifications, which would indicate confirmed data exposure.
• Independent forensic reporting naming Booba Project TTPs or tooling.
• Removal or modification of the leak site entry, which sometimes signals negotiation or payment.
• Any emergence of the group’s tooling in malware repositories, which would improve detection coverage.

Yazoul Security will update this report if verified information becomes available. For related coverage, see our /news/ section.

Disclaimer

This report is based solely on an unverified claim published on a ransomware group’s leak site. Yazoul Security has not independently confirmed the attack, the data theft, the data volume, or the involvement of Booba Project. Nothing in this article should be treated as a statement of fact. Ransomware groups routinely exaggerate or fabricate claims to pressure victims. No leaked data, credentials, samples, or access instructions are included here by design. Organizations should consult qualified incident response professionals before drawing conclusions.