Conti Recovery (and Royal, BlackSuit, Black Basta forks)
Direct answer
Conti was one of the most notorious ransomware groups from 2020 to 2022, with estimated revenue over US$ 180 million. It shut down in May 2022 after a massive source-code leak ('Conti Leaks'). Members migrated to forks: Royal (rebranded as BlackSuit in 2024), Black Basta, Quantum and Akira. There is a Conti V3 decryptor from Avast/Kaspersky. HD Doctor delivers response for both legacy Conti and active forks in 2026.
If the case looks like Conti in 2026, it is likely an active fork (Royal, BlackSuit, Black Basta, Quantum). Correct variant identification defines available decryptor and SLA.
Conti and its forks
Conti operated from July 2020 to May 2022 as one of the largest RaaS, attacking healthcare (Irish HSE 2021), government (Costa Rica 2022) and private companies. After declaring support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an insider leaked all source code and internal chats ('Conti Leaks'). The group dissolved but members migrated to forks: Royal (later BlackSuit), Black Basta, Quantum, Akira and others. Conti left massive technical heritage: same modular architecture, extortion patterns and tooling (Cobalt Strike, AnyDesk, Atera).
Symptoms of Conti / forks infection
- Classic Conti: extension .conti, note 'CONTI_README.txt' or 'R3ADM3.txt'
- Royal/BlackSuit: extension .royal or .blacksuit, note 'README.TXT'
- Black Basta: extension .basta, note 'instructions_read_me.txt'
- Quantum: varied extension, note 'README_TO_DECRYPT.html'
- Cobalt Strike Beacon, Mimikatz, AnyDesk, Atera (common Conti kit)
- AD logs with BloodHound, Rubeus (kerberoasting)
Common attack vectors (Conti and forks)
| Cause | % | Recoverable? |
|---|---|---|
| Phishing with Qakbot or IcedID | 35% | Training + restore |
| Exposed RDP without MFA | 25% | Hardening + restore |
| VPN without MFA (Fortinet, Pulse Secure) | 18% | MFA + restore |
| Initial Access Broker compromise | 12% | Entry-vector forensics |
| Targeted phishing (spear) | 7% | Training + restore |
| Other / unidentified | 3% | Case-by-case analysis |
Distribution based on CISA AA22-035A (Conti) and AA23-061A (Royal).
What NOT to do upon Conti / forks identification
- 1.Do not try a generic decryptor without identifying variant. Conti V3 (Avast) only works for specific variant. Royal and Black Basta require different tools. Identification is the first step.
- 2.Do not ignore exfiltration. Conti and all forks exfiltrate before encrypting. Regulator notification mandatory within 72h.
- 3.Do not trust 'friendly' operator chat. Conti was known for prolonged chats and even negotiated 'discounts'. Internal history (Conti Leaks) shows key delivery failed even after payment in ~25% of cases.
- 4.Do not immediately reinstall AD. Compromised DCs hold critical forensic artifacts: Kerberos tickets, privileged accounts, persistence via Group Policy.
- 5.Do not reuse backup without analysis. Conti often compromises the backup BEFORE encryption. Veeam Backup & Replication with elevated local permission is a target.
HD Doctor process for Conti / forks response
Technical response for legacy Conti and active forks.
- 1
Triage and containment (0 to 6h)
Identify exact variant (Conti V3 vs Royal vs BlackSuit vs Black Basta vs Quantum), isolation, snapshots, DC RAM capture.
- 2
AD and endpoint forensics (6 to 48h)
DC analysis (BloodHound, Rubeus, Mimikatz), endpoint (Cobalt Strike, Qakbot/IcedID), timeline, exfiltration via Mega.nz or rclone.
- 3
Decryptor attempt (24 to 72h)
Conti V3: attempt with Avast/Kaspersky decryptor. Royal/BlackSuit/Black Basta: no public decryptor in 2026. Correct identification defines eligibility.
- 4
Corporate restore (5 to 30 days)
Veeam/Commvault restore of AD, file servers, SQL, Exchange. AD rebuild when deep compromise (golden ticket). SQL/Oracle granular.
- 5
Hardening and report (10 to 30 days)
Reset KRBTGT (2x), privileged-account review, EDR (CrowdStrike/SentinelOne), immutable backup, universal MFA. Forensic and judicial report.
Typical SLA for Conti / forks response
| Scenario | Turnaround |
|---|---|
| Triage and containment | 0 to 6h |
| AD + endpoint forensics | 48 to 96h (complex case) |
| Conti V3 decryptor | 24 to 48h after confirmation |
| Veeam restore of AD + servers | 10 to 25 business days |
| AD rebuild post-golden-ticket | 15 to 45 business days |
| Final technical report | 20 to 45 business days |
- Deep AD compromise often requires full domain rebuild.
Systems hit (Conti and forks)
| Family | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Active Directory (Server 2012R2-2022) | ✅ Full rebuild | KRBTGT reset 2x, OU/GPO review |
| Microsoft Exchange | ✅ Veeam restore + patch | Mailbox recovery |
| SQL Server / Oracle | ✅ Granular restore | Corrupted databases |
| VMware ESXi (Royal/Black Basta-Linux) | ✅ Snapshot + restore | Forks attack ESXi |
| Veeam Backup & Replication | ✅ Restore + analysis | Prior-compromise verification |
Why HD Doctor for Conti / forks response
- 🏛️Real documented Conti, Royal, BlackSuit and Black Basta cases with per-variant playbook.
- ⚡24×7 response within 6h with direct AD/Exchange/VMware engineer.
- 🔓Updated Conti V3 decryptor base (Avast/Kaspersky) for eligible variants.
- 💾Full Active Directory rebuild post-golden-ticket.
- 📋Forensic report for regulator within 72h and corporate judicial use.
FAQ about Conti / forks
Is Conti still active in 2026?
No. Conti dissolved in May 2022 after the Conti Leaks. Operations in 2026 with similar characteristics are forks: Royal (later rebranded BlackSuit in 2024), Black Basta, Quantum, Akira and others that inherited codebase, tooling and affiliates.
Is there a Conti decryptor?
Yes, partially. Conti V3 has a decryptor published by Avast and Kaspersky for specific samples obtained post-leaks. Royal/BlackSuit/Black Basta/Quantum have no public decryptor in 2026. Identifying the exact variant is critical.
Are Royal and BlackSuit the same operation?
Yes. Royal operated from 2022 to 2024 and was rebranded as BlackSuit in mid-2024, per CISA AA23-061A advisory (updated). Same base binary, same affiliates, focus on education, healthcare and government in US, Europe and LATAM.
Why may AD rebuild be necessary?
Conti and forks often obtain a golden ticket (full AD control via KRBTGT compromise). When that happens, any pre-incident credential is permanently compromised. Domain rebuild (with planned account and service migration) is the only way to ensure trust.
How long until business resumes after Conti / fork?
Scenario with Veeam immutable backup and intact AD: 7 to 15 days for 80% of operations. Scenario with golden ticket in AD: 30 to 60 days due to rebuild. Scenario without clean backup: 60 to 120 days depending on complexity.
Under Conti, Royal, BlackSuit or Black Basta attack?
Correct variant identification defines available decryptor. 24×7 response.