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Backing Russia Backfires Again as Conti Ransomware Source Code Leaks

The encryptor, decryptor, builder, and the command and control server source code is publicly available.

 & Matthew Humphries Former Senior Editor

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The Conti gang has suffered another major blow after the source code for its ransomware encryptor, decryptor, and builder was leaked.

The flow of information out of the gang's operations began last week when a Ukrainian researcher shared over a year's worth of internal chat logs. That researcher went on to create the Twitter account @ContiLeaks and has continued to leak information.

As BleepingComputer reports, in the latest round of data dumps the researcher leaked a further 107,000 internal chat messages, as well as the gang's administrative panel, BazarBackdoor API, TrickBot command and control server source code, storage server screenshots, and best of all—a password-protected archive containing the Conti ransomware source code.

It didn't take long for another researcher to crack the password, which revealed the source code for the ransomware's encryptor, decryptor, and builder. This will allow the wider research community to dive into the code and hopefully produce countermeasures to help anyone infected with the ransomware to remove it. However, as the source code is freely available, it could also lead to some copycat ransomware operations being created in the short term.

The ongoing data leak is a reaction to the gang's decision to back the Russian government and Putin's actions against Ukraine, while also threatening to retaliate against anyone attacking Russia. The question now is how much more information is left to leak about Conti, and will the gang be able to recover from it and continue its malicious operations?

About Our Expert

Matthew Humphries

Matthew Humphries

Former Senior Editor

My Experience

I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

My Areas of Expertise

  • PC components and system building
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Software development
  • Storage technology
  • Video games and gaming hardware

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