Conti, Trickbot cybercrime group leader unmasked

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, or BKA, has accused Russian national Vitaly Nikolaevich Kovalev of having led the Conti and TrickBot, also known as Wizard Spider, ransomware operations following the latest round of the international law enforcement crackdown initiative Operation Endgame, reports BleepingComputer.

Kovalev, also known as Stern, was revealed to have led the TrickBot, Ryuk, and Conti operations following the exposure of TrickLeaks and ContiLeaks data, which has led to the accelerated takedown of Conti. "According to the investigations conducted by the BKA, at times, the Trickbot group consisted of more than 100 members. It works in an organized and hierarchically structured manner and is project and profit-oriented," said the BKA, which has already sought any information that could help in the arrest of Kovalev, who is believed to be in Russia. Such a development comes more than two years after Kovalev was sanctioned by the U.S. over his involvement as a senior figure in the ransomware gangs.