Kyiv, Europe Brief News – Conti Ransomware group that expressed their support for the Russian Government on the invasion of Ukraine has reportedly been hacked. One of the online insiders leaked the chat logs.
The leaker said in a statement “Fuck the Russian government- Glory to Ukraine”. The leak contained 400 files of tens of thousands of chat logs in Russian dating back to January 2021. The group was only founded in 2020.
The gang offers Ransomware as a service, the customer buys access to its attack facilities. As per the reports, the group has received an estimated amount of $30 million in ransomware payments to date.
The ransomware gang is likely to be partnered with Russian Intelligence as chat logs suggest a chain of command between the group and Russian agencies. On 25 February, The group shared a message saying they are standing right behind Putin.
The Conti team posted a blog saying “ If anybody decides to organise a cyber attack or any war activities against Russia, we are going to use all possible resources to strike back at the critical infrastructure of an enemy”.
A few days later the team issued another statement saying that they are criticising the war but decided to support their home country.
Ransomware Gang pledge support to Russian forces
They further added “We do not ally with any government and we condemn the ongoing war. However, since the West is known to wage its wars primarily by targeting civilians, we will use our resources to strike back if the well being and safety of peaceful citizens will be at stake due to American cyber aggression”.
The Person who leaked the chat logs is not known. However, Alex Holden, Founder of Cybersecurity company Hold Security believes the chats were leaked by a Ukrainian citizen who is a legitimate cybersecurity researcher.
Brett Callow, a ransomware expert said “ The leak could be a severe hit for ransomware groups because their affiliates and other associates will have lost confidence in the operation”.
Since Conti supports Russia, other ransomware experts groups have started to work under one umbrella to support Ukraine.
The ‘IT army’ has also come into action to support Ukraine to strengthen its position to defend against any cyber attack. The IT army has gained 230,000 subscribers since its introduction.
