From unit42.paloaltonetworks.com
Executive Summary
Conti ransomware stands out as one of the most ruthless of the dozens of ransomware gangs that we follow. The group has spent more than a year attacking organizations where IT outages can have life-threatening consequences: hospitals, 911 dispatch carriers, emergency medical services and law enforcement agencies. Ireland has yet to recover from an attack in mid-May that prompted the shutdown of the entire information technology network of the nation’s healthcare system – prompting cancellation of appointments, the shutdown of X-ray systems and delays in COVID testing.
Conti also stands out as unreliable. We’ve seen the group stiff victims who pay ransoms, expecting to be able to recover their data.
The FBI has connected Conti to more than 400 cyberattacks against organizations worldwide, three-quarters of which are based in the U.S., with demands as high as $25 million. This makes Conti one of the greediest groups out there.