Ransomware Group thegentlemen Hits: AirQ
Summary
In the latest cybersecurity news, AirQ — an organization based in AD — has fallen victim to a ransomware attack conducted by the group thegentlemen. This data breach, discovered on 2026-10-17T16:51:56.420359+00:00, underscores the increasing need for proactive cybersecurity defenses as we continue through 2026.
Incident Report
| Attribute | Information |
|---|---|
| Target Organization | AirQ |
| Threat Group | thegentlemen |
| Summary | airq-ad.com AirQ UAE drone manufacturer founded in 2021 in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, producing unmanned aerial systems fully in-house. It was started by Croatian entrepreneurs Dino Dedić as CEO and Igor Pongrac as CTO, who previously worked at Rimac Automobili, and has grown from 6 people to about 100 engineers. The flagship product is the Harara modular VTOL drone, carrying 6 kg of payload and flying up to 7 hours or 600 km in hybrid mode, with over 1000 test flights completed. Other products include the StingJet reusable jet target drone for air defense training and the world’s first fully electric UAV launcher. The company is backed by Abu Dhabi institutions such as Tawazun Council and Masdar City Free Zone and runs real operations like medical blood sample delivery between hospitals. Its main strengths are full in-house composite production and dual defense plus commercial markets, while the main risks are its young age, ongoing aviation certification and dependence on UAE defense. |
| Date of Breach | 2026-10-16T17:13:12+00:00 |
| Discovery Date | 2026-10-17T16:51:56.420359+00:00 |
| Region | AD |
| Target Domain | airq-ad.com |
| Business Sector | Technology |
How to reduce your ransomware risk
Most ransomware intrusions start with a stolen password or a phishing email. A few proactive steps sharply cut your exposure:
- train staff to spot attacks — close the gap attackers exploit.
- monitor the dark web for leaked logins — close the gap attackers exploit.
Want to know if you’re already exposed? Run a free scan with the HookPhish data breach checker.
Disclaimer
HookPhish does not engage in the exfiltration, downloading, taking, hosting, viewing, reposting, or disclosure of any stolen information. All breach data reported here is sourced from publicly available threat intelligence feeds for awareness purposes only.
