In July 2021, Stern explained to Mango that the social network is meant to be a commercial product. Mango said it could be like Russia’s biggest social media website, VKontakte (aka VK), but with a twist: It would be for the “darknet.” “We make a social network primarily for ourselves and the community,” Mango explained to Conti member Ghost, after they had discussed it with Stern. These include Stern and Mango, a Conti general manager who reports directly to the boss and makes sure Conti’s members get paid. Several high-profile Conti members have been involved in conversations about the development. While a crypto platform may make some sense for the day-to-day running of Conti, its efforts to create a social network appear to lack a clear direction. However, they come at a time when law enforcement bodies are disrupting ransomware groups, including conducting aggressive takedown actions and making arrests around the world. The cryptocurrency and social media schemes are some of the more absurd proposals from the gang. While many of the leaked chat messages detail the daily workings of the notorious ransomware group, they also show how it’s planning to expand beyond corporate extortion. WIRED has reviewed the documents in detail. The researcher, who has remained anonymous for safety reasons, exposed the Conti ransomware gang’s inner workings on February 27 via a Twitter account after the hacking group backed Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine invasion days earlier.
Its leader even suggested opening an online casino.Ĭonti’s unconventional expansion plans were revealed in 60,000 of the group’s chat messages and files, which were published by a Ukrainian cybersecurity researcher who infiltrated the group. Since last summer, according to leaked details from the group, the Russia-linked cybercrime organization has been quietly developing its own social network and blockchain-based cryptocurrency platform. Not satisfied with extorting $180 million from companies last year, the Conti ransomware gang is investing its coerced cash in new moneymaking schemes.
0 kommentar(er)
