Russian Ransomware Gang Says It Will Support Russian Government

A notorious ransomware gang announced on Friday that it’s supporting the Russian government and promised retaliation against anyone who opposes it. 

“The Conti Team is officially announcing a full support of Russian government. If any body will decide to organize a cyberattack or any war activities against Russia, we are going to use all our possible resources to strike back at the critical infrastructures,” the announcement read.  

The announcement was spotted by several cybersecurity researchers who track ransomware gangs. The hackers posted it on their official website where they advertise victims and share announcements. 

This isn’t the first time Conti has taken a political stance. In November, the gang apologized to Arab royal families for leaking releasing their potentially sensitive data, which the gang found after hacking the UK jewelry store Graff.

According to cybersecurity firm ClearSky, Conti is the successor of the Russian hacking group Wizard Spider, and it claims to have hit more than 150 victims in 2020 and extorted them for $20 million. 

Conti’s activity was first detected in 2019 after the group launched a website where it started posting victim’s data. Since then, the gang has hit “Government organizations, healthcare providers, schools, charities and enterprises across a wide range of verticals” in Europe and North America, according to Emsisoft, a cybersecurity company that specializes in tracking ransomware. 

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