The Cl0p ransomware group has named more than 40 organizations allegedly targeted in the recent campaign that exploited a vulnerability in PTC’s product lifecycle management (PLM) platforms Windchill and FlexPLM.
The vulnerability and its exploitation
The exploitation of the vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-12569, came to light in June, when CISA added it to its KEV catalog and the vendor warned of attacks targeting it.
The flaw is an improper input validation issue that allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution via specially crafted requests.
Exploitation of the vulnerability was expected, with police in Germany reportedly alerting organizations about imminent attacks.
It’s worth noting that CVE-2026-12569 is the first ever Windchill vulnerability to be exploited in the wild.
The cybersecurity industry reported seeing exploitation of the PLM product flaw in Cl0p ransomware attacks in late July. Cl0p affiliates exploited the security hole to deliver web shells that gave them access to the data of organizations using Windchill.
Security firm ReliaQuest reported on Tuesday that Cl0p has been using a custom implant designed to provide “full data theft capability” without requiring additional tools.
“[The web shell] maps sensitive vault data, decrypts every credential in the Windchill keystore, and includes a custom Java class loader that lets Clop execute any additional code inside the application process, extending the shell into an unlimited backdoor for follow-on activity such as lateral movement, ransomware, or persistence,” ReliaQuest explained.
Cl0p attacks
The Cl0p cybercrime gang initially only listed partial company names on its website, but on August 12 it started releasing alleged victims’ full names. More than 40 organizations apparently targeted in the Windchill campaign have been named to date.
For each victim, the hackers listed the type and amount of information they have stolen.
The type of exfiltrated data includes databases, project files, backups, photographs and other image files, engineering documents, blueprints, diagrams, logs, and other corporate documents. The amount of stolen information per organization ranges between 1 GB and several terabytes, according to the hackers.
The compromised files could contain sensitive personal information and valuable intellectual property, but much of it may be of little value and already in the public domain, which is why many of the targeted organizations have likely refused to pay a ransom.
The list of alleged victims includes oil and gas giant Shell, tech giant Philips, fintech giant Fiserv, enterprise mobility provider Zebra Technologies, industrial equipment manufacturer Ingersoll Rand, point-of-sale software maker Toast, global medical technology leader Mindray, and key Apple camera lens supplier Largan Precision.
GE was initially listed as well, but it has since been removed from the Cl0p website, which could indicate that the company has agreed to pay a ransom or has resumed negotiations with the hackers.
Companies such as Shell, Philips, Fiserv and GE stated that they are aware of the claims and are investigating, but none has confirmed a significant data breach.
Cl0p previously conducted similar data theft and extortion campaigns targeting vulnerabilities in Oracle E-Business Suite, MOVEit, Cleo, and GoAnywhere software.
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