Conti

Conti is a financially-motivated ransomware group that emerged in July 2020 and quickly became one of the most prolific and aggressive ransomware operations globally. The group is suspected to be of Russian origin and operated as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) model, with documented ties to the TrickBot malware operation and suspected connections to other Russian cybercriminal enterprises. Conti primarily gained initial access through phishing emails, exploitation of vulnerabilities in internet-facing applications, and leveraging the TrickBot and Emotet botnets for distribution, employing double extortion tactics where they exfiltrated sensitive data before deploying their ransomware and threatening to publish stolen information if ransoms were not paid. Notable campaigns included attacks on Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE) in May 2021 which severely disrupted healthcare services nationwide, numerous attacks against U.S. healthcare systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the breach of Costa Rica's Ministry of Finance and other government agencies in 2022, with the group demanding a $20 million ransom from the Costa Rican government. The Conti operation was significantly disrupted in 2022 following internal leaks of their communications and source code, leading to the group's dissolution, though many of its members are believed to have migrated to other ransomware operations including Black Basta and Karakurt.