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Free decryptor released for Conti-based ransomware following data leak

Ransomware has become one of the most dangerous cyber threats to organizations of all sizes. The Conti ransomware group is one of the most notorious ransomware gangs, responsible for hundreds of attacks on organizations and netting criminals over $150 million. Victims included the government of Costa Rica, which was forced to declare a national emergency after systems in multiple departments were severely impacted.

In February 2022, things began to unravel for the Conti ransomware gang when they declared their “full support of the Russian government” after the invasion of Ukraine. This statement didn’t go down well with many people, including partners in crime with the group. To make matters worse, the group was embarrassed when someone leaked 160,000 messages between their members, and the source code for the Conti ransomware.

This source code was subsequently used to create modified versions of the Conti ransomware, including one used by a criminal group called MeowCorp. Thankfully, researchers at Russian anti-virus firm Kaspersky have announced a new free decryption tool to help victims of the modified Conti ransomware recover their encrypted data. The tool is incorporated into the latest version of Kaspersky’s free RakhniDecryptor tool, and most of the attacks used this modification targeted Russian organizations.

In May 2022, the US Department of State offered a reward of up to $10,000,000 for information which would help them identify the leaders of the Conti ransomware group, and a further $5,000,000 for information which helped arrest and/or convict a member of the gang.

Key Points:
• Conti ransomware group is one of the most notorious ransomware gangs, responsible for hundreds of attacks and netting criminals over $150 million
• The group was embarrassed when someone leaked 160,000 messages between their members, and the source code for the Conti ransomware
• Modified versions of the Conti ransomware were used to target Russian organizations
• Researchers at Russian anti-virus firm Kaspersky have created a free decryption tool to help victims of the modified Conti ransomware
• The US Department of State offered a reward of up to $10,000,000 for information which would help them identify the leaders of the Conti ransomware group

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