CARDS
CARDS
Conti is an extremely damaging ransomware due to the speed with which it encrypts data and spreads to other systems. It was first observed in 2020 and it is thought to be led by a Russia-based cybercrime group that goes under the Wizard Spider pseudonym. In early May 2022, the US government announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on the Conti ransomware gang.
Last updated May 24, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
Evidence Boundary
Bottom Line Up Front
Conti is an extremely damaging ransomware due to the speed with which it encrypts data and spreads to other systems. It was first observed in 2020 and it is thought to be led by a Russia-based cybercrime group that goes under the Wizard Spider pseudonym. In early May 2022, the US government announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on the Conti ransomware gang.[1]
Data theft, encryption, business interruption, extortion pressure, and notification/legal exposure depending on victim environment.[1]
Harden exposed remote access Monitor archive creation and mass file reads Protect backups Prepare extortion communications workflow[1]
Decision Summary
Conti is an extremely damaging ransomware due to the speed with which it encrypts data and spreads to other systems. It was first observed in 2020 and it is thought to be led by a Russia-based cybercrime group that goes under the Wizard Spider pseudonym. In early May 2022, the US government announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on the Conti ransomware gang.
The retained record scopes this as ransomware / extortion / cybercrime activity during Operational window varies by public reporting. Data theft, encryption, business interruption, extortion pressure, and notification/legal exposure depending on victim environment.[1]
Harden exposed remote access Monitor archive creation and mass file reads Protect backups Prepare extortion communications workflow[1]
Confirmed reporting is separated from attribution, victim, and prevalence claims that the retained sources do not establish. Confidence: Medium for public ransomware ecosystem tracking; individual claims and victim listings require local/source corroboration..[1]
Actor Mapping
Targeting
Tradecraft
Tools / Observables
Source Reconciliation
Campaign rows are retained as source-backed context. Actor mappings do not automatically merge actor records; SOCRadar, MITRE, Mandiant, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and other future sources can disagree on boundaries, aliases, or campaign ownership.
Ransomware group and victim claims are often adversary-controlled. Validate actor linkage, malware, and impact with incident evidence.
IntelliOS
None Found
Citations