Conti ransomware gang: You attack Russia, we’ll hack you back

Notorious cybercrime gang says it will strike back at critical infrastructure if cyber attacks are launched against Russia

Graham Cluley
Graham Cluley
@

 @grahamcluley.com
 @[email protected]

Conti ransomware gang: You attack Russia, we'll hack you back

The Conti ransomware gang says that it supports the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine… and if anyone launches a retaliatory cyber attack against Russia, they will hit back hard.

Conti warning

The message was posted on Conti’s website on the dark web earlier today:

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

Conti has proven its ability to compromise organisations, plant malware, steal sensitive information, and extort millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency from its victims on numerous occasions.

The announcement came after Ukraine called on hackers to volunteer their services to spy on Russian forces, and protect the country’s critical infrastructure.

Sign up to our free newsletter.
Security news, advice, and tips.

Things have clearly heated up digitally, as well as on the ground.

In January, Russia’s FSB claimed that it had dismantled the ransomware-as-a-service REvil gang (also known as Sodinokibi), whose members had notoriously plagued Western firms.

At the time I pondered quite why Russia might had chosen now to finally do something about one of its most infamous cybercrime gangs.

By the way, does anyone know what has happened to the people the FSB arrested? Are they hanging upside down above shark-infested custard somewhere in Moscow? Or has the Kremlin found some other use for them?


Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "The AI Fix" and "Smashing Security" podcasts. Follow him on Bluesky and Mastodon, or drop him an email.

What do you think? Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.