The Conti group became famous in 2021 and 2022 for ransomware attacks. The division funded by the ongoing warfare led to pro-Ukrainian people leaking confidential reports about the criminal team, just after the latter openly highlighted its Sympathy for Russia.
The armed conflict encouraged by Russia in Ukrainian territory has undoubtedly created a visible division among many citizens and entities since. At the same time, a large part condemns the actions led by the Soviet nation; other citizens back up the incursion and even support the geopolitical reasons behind it.
These differences led to one of the most prolific hacker teams that appeared in 2021, called Conti, recently suffering a series of leaks that unveiled many aspects of its anonymity and its criminal behavior.
Various revealed reports detail the actual size of the entity, information about its leaders, business activities they lead, and the source code of the ransomware implemented to attack their victims.
The information got revealed by the CNBC news agency. The cybersecurity researcher for Cyberint, Shmuel Gijon, highlighted that the viral reports got unveiled as an act of revenge against Conti since the group made public its sympathy for the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory. This situation made them aware and received many criticisms regarding their operations.
Detailing the events, Gihon expressed that the leaks appeared precisely four days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started to unfold. An anonymous person opened an anonymous account on Twitter and began to reveal thousands of internal messages from the group, in which they detailed a lot of crucial data.
The leaks came along with statements favoring the Ukrainian side and ended on March 30 with a powerful and decisive message.
How Significant was the Leakage?
About the size of the leak, Gihon highlighted in the interview conducted by CNBC that the impact this had on the Conti group was appalling. In recent weeks, the reports have had many investigative agencies operating inquiries, carefully studying all the documentation leaked by the anonymous account.
Both Cyberint and other agencies agree that Conti operated and was organized similarly to a technology company like any other company since they had precise management functions, financial reports, and even a section dedicated to human resources. The organization has a specific hierarchy and establishes that leaders manage teams, who must report achievements and progress to the upper echelons that direct the organization.
Other details highlight that Conti has physical headquarters based in Russia. Given these details, the Moscow authorities denied that the state had taken part in cyberattacks.
Gihon stressed that although the leak has been vast. Its operations got harmed, it does not rule out that Conti will continue to work at least partially and that if forceful actions do not get achieved against the criminal organization, they will most likely recover their strength after what happened and counter strike with much more force than before.
By: Jenson Nuñez
