Payload Ransomware: In-depth technical analysis By Editor Published: 2026-05-05 · Archived: 2026-05-20 02:01:25 UTC Payload is a cross-platform ransomware family with both Windows and Linux variants. In this blog, we will primarily focus on the Windows variant and its behavior in detail. Payload provides extensive support for command-line arguments, suggesting it can be operated manually or remotely. It appears to work as an operator-driven ransomware executable rather than a simple one-click . This design allows operators to selectively enable or disable features based on the target environment or operational objectives .  Below is the list of arguments that can be supplied by the operators: Flag Effect when present Default behavior `– background` Runs encryption in the background (no console window); does NOT re-spawn itself N/A `-m` Skips mutex creation/check (allows multiple instances) Mutex is created to enforce single instance `-n` Does NOT write the ransom note to disk Ransom note is written `-d` Disables self-deletion Self-deletion is executed after run `-k` Does NOT kill processes or stop services Target processes/services are terminated `-s` Skips network share enumeration (only local drives targeted) Network shares are also enumerated and encrypted `-l` Wipes all Windows Event Logs after encryption (anti-forensics) Event logs are left unchanged `-i` Ignores filename filters (may re-encrypt its own files like notes or payload artifacts) Filename filters are enforced to avoid its files and system files `–bypass-etw`Patches ETW functions in `ntdll` to disable logging ETW remains functional `–algo` Forces a specific ChaCha20 implementation (AVX2 or SSE2 optimized) Algorithm path is auto-detected based on CPU https://www.egfincirt.org.eg/payload-ransomware Page 1 of 2 Flag Effect when present Default behavior `–threads N` Sets number of worker threads for encryption Defaults to number of CPU cores `-p ` Encrypts only the specified path All drives are enumerated and encrypted `–log ` Overrides default log file location Logs written to `C:\payload.log` IOC Type Value Windows Variant Hash 1ca67af90400ee6cbbd42175293274a0f5dc05315096cb2e214e4bfe12ffb71f Linux Variant Hash bed8d1752a12e5681412efbb8283910857f7c5c431c2d73f9bbc5b379047a316 Mutex MakeAmericaGreatAgain Log File C:\payload.log Ransom Note C:\RECOVER_payload.txt Ransomware Infrastructure (Tor-based) payloadynyvabjacbun4uwhmxc7yvdzorycslzmnleguxjn7glahsvqd[.]onion payloadrz5yw227brtbvdqpnlhq3rdcdekdnn3rgucbcdeawq2v6vuyd[.]onion Source: https://www.egfincirt.org.eg/payload-ransomware https://www.egfincirt.org.eg/payload-ransomware Page 2 of 2