{"id":10424,"date":"2025-07-17T22:53:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T22:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.binaryconfidence.com\/?p=10424"},"modified":"2025-11-13T23:43:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T23:43:15","slug":"kde-koncia-miliony-z-ransomware-takto-si-ich-uzivaju-utocnici","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.binaryconfidence.com\/en\/kde-koncia-miliony-z-ransomware-takto-si-ich-uzivaju-utocnici\/","title":{"rendered":"Where do millions from ransomware go? This is how attackers spend them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Private jets, luxury cars and premium apartments \u2013 they pose as investors, but even the seemingly anonymous world of the internet couldn\u2019t hide them. Members of the once-feared hacker group Conti were exposed by the activist collective GangExposed.<\/em><\/p>\n

At first glance, it looks like the life of successful startup founders or Forbes-listed investors: private jets, trips to Dubai, luxury watches and penthouse parties. Their Instagram profiles could easily compete with those of top influencers in exotic locations. But there\u2019s one catch: behind the luxurious lifestyle, there is no promising startup or investment platform. Instead, it\u2019s about extortion, data theft, paralyzed hospitals, and millions stolen across the world.<\/p>\n

Ransomware groups have existed since the early days of the internet. Typically, they break into a company\u2019s infrastructure, encrypt sensitive data, and demand a ransom. Even Slovakia has recently experienced this on a large scale, when hackers encrypted the entire database of the Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Authority.<\/p>\n

According to available information, the attackers demanded an eight-figure amount to return the data. The general rule is: don\u2019t negotiate with criminals. But the reality is often different. At Binary Confidence, we\u2019ve seen companies that chose to pay the ransom \u2013 because the reputational and financial risks were simply too great. There is no guarantee you\u2019ll get your data back \u2013 but for the gangs, this often means enormous payouts.<\/p>\n

The now-defunct but once highly active Conti group was behind hundreds of cyberattacks worldwide. Although it no longer exists under that name, its members are still active \u2013 and as recent revelations show, they\u2019re now enjoying their stolen wealth, pretending to be successful entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201eKryptom\u00e1g\u201c Sergei alebo Olegov penthouse v Moskve<\/b><\/h2>\n

One of them is Sergei Khitrov, known in Conti as \u201cStanton,\u201d the group\u2019s second-highest-ranking member. In one of the leaked videos, Sergei is seen traveling in luxury to the birthday party of his boss, codenamed \u201cTarget.\u201d\n\nKhitrov spent a lot of time in the United Arab Emirates, where the group relocated, posing as a successful crypto expert. His investment platform served as a money-laundering tool for millions stolen via Conti ransomware attacks.<\/p>\n