Next Level Solutions Listed by pear Ransomware Group: Ransomware Claim — What’s Alleged & What To Do

Ransomware groups continue to target service providers that sit at the intersection of multiple client organisations, using data theft and public leak-site listings as leverage. In this environment, the appearance of a business-services firm on a threat actor’s site is a signal that internal material may have left the organisation’s control, even when full technical details remain sparse.

On 9 September 2025, Next Level Solutions was listed by the ransomware group known as pear. Public reporting indicates that internal files were exfiltrated during a ransomware attack. The number of people affected is unknown, and further specifics about timing, entry method or exact file contents have not been disclosed. The listing itself is a claim by the group; independent confirmation of the full scope is not part of the available record.

What happened

According to the reported summary, Next Level Solutions was the subject of a ransomware attack in which internal files were taken. The incident was publicly noted on 9 September 2025 when the organisation appeared on pear’s leak site. No figure for the volume of data, no list of specific file names, and no confirmed count of affected individuals have been released. The method of initial access, the duration of any dwell time inside the network, and whether encryption was also deployed remain undisclosed. What is stated is limited to the fact of exfiltration of internal files and the subsequent listing by the group.

The group behind it: pear

Pear is a ransomware operation that follows the now-common double-extortion model: data is stolen before or alongside encryption, and the victim is threatened with public release if a ransom is not paid. Groups of this type typically maintain dedicated leak sites where they post the names of organisations they claim to have compromised, sometimes accompanied by sample files or countdown timers. Public reporting on pear has described it as one of several mid-tier actors that focus on mid-sized enterprises and professional-services firms rather than exclusively on large critical-infrastructure targets. Their listings are claims; they do not constitute independent verification that every asserted detail is accurate. In this case, the only assertion tied to Next Level Solutions is the listing itself and the statement that internal files were exfiltrated.

Next Level Solutions and its sector

Next Level Solutions partners with other companies to supply accounting, human-resources and technology-deployment services. Organisations of this kind routinely handle payroll data, employee records, financial statements, tax information, system-configuration details and credentials that grant access to client environments. Because they sit between multiple clients, a single compromise can create secondary exposure for those clients’ staff and customers. The sector is attractive to ransomware operators precisely because the data is both sensitive and commercially valuable for further fraud or secondary extortion. A breach here therefore carries consequences that extend beyond the firm’s own walls.

What was likely exposed

The available facts state only that internal files were exfiltrated. No inventory of those files has been published. Firms providing accounting, human-resources and technology services typically store employee personal data, bank-account details used for payroll, tax identifiers, contracts, invoices, and technical documentation that may include network diagrams or access credentials. Whether any of those categories were among the taken files is unconfirmed. Readers should treat the precise contents as unknown until the organisation or independent investigators provide further detail.

The real-world impact

For individuals whose information may have been present, the practical risks include targeted phishing that references genuine internal details, identity-fraud attempts that exploit payroll or tax data, and credential stuffing if any authentication material was included. For Next Level Solutions and its client base, the consequences can include regulatory notification duties, contractual liability toward partners, remediation costs, and temporary disruption of services that rely on the compromised systems. Because the number of people affected remains unknown, the scale of these risks cannot yet be quantified. The absence of confirmed numbers does not eliminate the need for caution among anyone who has shared personal or financial data with the firm or its clients.

If your data was in this claimed breach

If you have a past or current relationship with Next Level Solutions or with any company that uses its accounting, HR or technology services, treat the possibility of exposure seriously. Monitor bank and credit-card statements for unexpected activity, enable multi-factor authentication on email and financial accounts, and be alert to phishing messages that appear unusually well-informed. Consider placing a fraud alert with credit bureaus if you believe sensitive identifiers may have been involved. You can also run a free exposure scan of your email address to check whether it has already appeared in known breach data sets; such a scan will not confirm or deny involvement in this specific incident, but it can surface other exposures that warrant attention. Official updates, if any, will come from Next Level Solutions or from regulatory notices; until then, the public record remains limited to the facts outlined above.

AICompiled with AI assistance from public sources and published under our editorial standards.