Leaks of Conti Ransomware Group Paint Picture of a Surprisingly Normal Tech Start-Up… Sort Of

Introduction

You’ve probably heard of the Conti ransomware group. After their 2020 emergence, they’ve accumulated at least 700 victims, where by “victims” we mean ‘big fish’ corporations with millions of dollars in revenue; unlike your average neighborhood ransomware operation, Conti never cared for extorting your mother-in-law for her vacation photos. For a while, Conti was the face of ransomware, along with fellow gang REvil – until this February, when 14 REvil operatives were arrested by the Russian authorities, leaving Conti effectively alone in its position as a major league ransomware operation. At the time, this was…