Conti Ransomware Recovery - A Nightmare for Big Corporations

Is CONTI Ransomware holding your data hostage? If it is, you have may have an emergency, but say calm. Conti ransomware is known to attack companies and organizations of all sizes, and is one of the costliest ransomware strains affecting businesses. It is a re-branding of the RYUK ransomware variant which surfaced in June of 2020.

This page contains essential information about Conti ransomware, decryption, recovery, removal and statistics. Please review the information below and contact our support team, to get immediate help with Conti ransomware removal and recovery.

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What is Conti Ransomware and how does it infect my files?

RYUK, first discovered in August of 2018, has already wreaked havoc for multiple large corporations and medium companies. Conti surfaced in July 2020 with behavior and ransom notes eerily similar to RYUK, such as AES 256 bit military grade encryption combined with RSA 4096.

Similar to Ryuk, Conti ransomware is particularly threatening for corporations and organizations that operate large and complex network infrastructure. While it has similarities to Ryuk’s source code and modus operandi, Conti is smarter, quicker and faster in encrypting data while shutting down entire networks. The connection between Ryuk and Conti is further supported by the fact that Conti attacks are increasing as Ryuk attacks decline.

The AES 256/RSA 4096 encryption alongside 32 simultaneous encryption threads used to encrypt files at unsurpassed speeds is what makes this an extremely dangerous malware for medium to large sized organizations. This means that the Conti ransomware can encrypt an entire network much faster than most other existing strains of ransomware, making it more difficult to catch and stop before it disrupts operations.

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You receive a file titled: CONTI_README.TXT telling you that your data is encrypted and demanding a payment, often in the millions of dollars.
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File extensions change to an extension containing five alphabetical characters in uppercase, such as .CONTI
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Firewall logs show significant unusual traffic to and from the network. This is usually indicative of data exfiltration.
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As many as 146 Windows application all related to security, backup and database are immediately blocked, rendering your security SOP’s useless.
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Extremely slow and sluggish operation of computers on the network resulting from file encryption.
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Keep calm! Contact us, and we can help you!

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What should I do when my data has been encrypted by CONTI Ransomware?

If you’ve fallen victim to ransomware, follow these crucial steps:

1

Request 24/7 Ransomware Recovery Help

Get expert guidance to assess, contain, and recover safely.

2

Isolate Infected Systems

Disconnect infected devices to stop the spread. Avoid self-recovery.

3

Preserve Evidence Immediately

Keep ransom notes & logs. Do not restart or modify anything.

CONTI ransomware statistics & facts

RANSOM AMOUNTS

Conti targets corporations and enterprises with a large IT infrastructure. As such, ransom payments are often much higher than other variants, often in line with Ryuk.

The average Conti ransom amount is somewhere between $100,000–$350,000. However, some attackers have even demanded as high as $800,000 to over $1 Million. When purchasing Bitcoin to pay a ransom, quick-buy methods include a fee of as much as 10%.

AVERAGE RANSOM, USD $

AVERAGE LENGTH

Since Conti attacks corporations, the average length of incident is longer than other ransomware. This is because of the manual communication with attackers through email, which adds a considerable delay in the response time and data recovery process.

Since this is an enterprise-level attack, the longer your systems and files are held hostage, the costlier it will be in terms of PR damage. Your goal should be to get your systems back to productive state as soon as possible. The best way to do this is to call in experts like BeforeCrypt, who have a vast knowledge of this ransomware. We can help you in getting your network back up running.

CASE OUTCOMES

There is a high chance to get a working Conti decryptor after paying the attackers. But there’s never a guarantee to get a working decryption key at all. Since this is a new variant surfacing in June 2020, we still need more data to confirm whether or not a working decryptor is provided by attackers.

COMMON ATTACK VECTORS

It is in most cases either Remote Desktop Protocol or email Phishing are the 2 leading attack vectors. Unfortunately, even enterprises fail to secure their open RDP ports.

Due to an increase in remote working, a lot of employees now work from home using remote desktop control, leaving the company’s network exposed to hackers and all sorts of cyber criminals. But it isn’t limited to Remote Desktop Protocol.

In fact, the most common methods of this ransomware distribution is email phishing.

Name
CONTI Virus / CONTI Ransomware / CONTI Malware
Danger level
Extremely high. Targets corporations and uses 32 simultaneous methods for faster encryption
Release date
June, 2020
OS affected
Microsoft Windows
Appended file extensions
.CONTI
Ransom note
ContiReadMe.txt, CONTI_README.txt

How to identify CONTI ransomware

CONTI_README.txt
Gentlemen! Your business is in serious danger. There is a significant hole in your company’s security system. We’ve just penetrated your network. You should thank the Lord that you were hacked by serious people and not by stupid schoolboys or dangerous punks. They can damage all your important data just for fun. Now your files are crypted using the strongest military algorithms RSA 4096 and AES-256. No one can help you recover files without our special decoder. Photorec, RannohDecryptor etc. repair tools are useless and can destroy your files irreversibly. If you would like to restore your files, write an email to (Contacts are an the bottom of the sheet) and attach 2-3 encrypted files (Each less than 5Mb, not archived and your files should not contain valuable information (Databases, backups, large Excel data sheets, etc.). You will receive decrypted samples and our conditions on how to get the decoder. Don’t forget to write the framework of your company in the subject of your email. You have to pay for decryption in bitcoins. The final price depends on how quickly you write to us. Every day of delay will cost you an additional +0.5 BT. Nothing personal, just business As soon as we get bitcoins, you’ll get all your decrypted data back. Moreover you will get instructions on how to close the hole in security and how to avoid such problems in the future + We will recommend you special software that makes the most problems to hackers. Attention! One more time! Do not rename encrypted files. Do not try to decrypt your data with third party software. P.S. Remember, we are not scammers. We don’t need your files and information. But after 2 weeks, your files and keys will be deleted automatically. Just send a request right after the infection. All data will be restored absolutely. Your warranty – decrypted samples. Contact emails BTC wallet: Conti No system is safe

Frequently asked questions

How Does Ransomware Encrypt Files?

Ransomware encrypts files using advanced cryptographic algorithms, typically AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) or RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman). Once executed, the malware scans the system for specific file types and encrypts them, making them inaccessible to the user. Some variants use symmetric encryption (AES), while others combine it with asymmetric encryption (RSA) to lock files with a unique key pair.

Can You Decrypt My Ransomware Encrypted Files?

Decryption depends on the ransomware variant. In some cases, publicly available decryption tools exist, but not all attacks have a known solution. You can submit a free ransomware recovery request, and we will check for possible decryption methods.