A pro-Ukraine hacker has just exposed the internal messages of a hacker gang called Conti. The hackers behind the namesake Conti ransomware recently came out in favor of Russia.
Conti, one of the biggest groups of cybercriminals today, is behind many cyberattacks. These last months, the hacker gang deployed several dangerous malware, including TrickBot or the Emotet virus. The hacker group is best known for developing a dreaded ransomware called Conti.
Active since 2020, this ransomware notably attacked Ireland’s health system last May. This computer attack cost the Irish government more than $48 million. Conti is responsible for several cyberattacks of this ilk, in particular against American infrastructures.
Also read: Ukraine creates pirate army to retaliate against Russia
A pirate reveals all the secrets of the Conti gang
As Russia invaded Ukraine, leaders of the Conti gang showed their support for the Russian troops on their official website. “The Conti team officially announces full support for the Russian government. If someone decides to organize a cyberattack or war activities against Russia, we will use all our possible resources to fight back”Conti said shortly after the first Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory.
This position was poorly received by some members of the gang. Shocked by the statement of the leaders of the band, a Ukrainian pirate member of Conti decided to take revenge. The hacker released the group’s private internal messages by hacking into their servers.
The conversations were sent to several journalists and security researchers, including IntelligenceX, a company specializing in computer security. The firm has released messages received in free access on its website. The conversations date from January 29, 2021 to February 27, 2022.
These exchanges, carried out on Jabber messaging, reveal that the gang has up to 341 members. The group holds around $13 million spread over approximately 200 Bitcoin addresses. The proliferation of blockchain addresses prevents hackers from having authorities track them down to their digital wallets.
Other similar files related to Conti’s activities will flow in the coming days, says the Ukrainian hacker. After this major leak, the leaders of the gang changed the message posted on their website. From now on, Conti declares himself rather apolitical, ensures does not support “no government” and condemn the ongoing war in Ukraine.
As cyberattacks against Ukraine’s infrastructure mount, several hacker groups have taken sides in the conflict. This is particularly the case of Anonymous. In order to support Ukraine, the world famous group has declared war on Russia.
