State of Emergency was Declared to Defend Costa Rica From Ransomware Says President
The president of Costa Rica declared a state of emergency as critical government facilities were hit by ransomware.
Former Minister of Finance and newly elected President of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Charles, has declared a national state of emergency due to cyberattacks launched by the Conti ransomware group.
The declaration was signed into law on Sunday, May 8th, the same day when he entered into office becoming the 49th president of Costa Rica. He stated that the Conti ransomware attack had resulted in the declaration.
Costa Rica Loses Its Finance Ministry
As per the report, more than ten critical infrastructures were affected by the ransomware attack. One of these facilities is the country’s finance ministry. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology, and Telecommunication were also affected by the cyber offensive.
The Treasury’s digital services have been considered unavailable since April 18th, which is affecting the entire productive sector due to government procedures, signatures and stamps that have been disrupted.
Last month, the ransomware group had claimed over six public institutions in Costa Rica. They also demanded $10 million for the release of one of its targets. The country’s finance ministry declined the request. It was reported that the affected nation has taken step to mitigate the ransomware attack and the threat actors failed to achieve their aims.
In response, the nation’s administrator said he’s most recent move was to help the country defend itself from criminal attacks. He further stated that the Conti campaign is an offensive on the Homeland and he is taking every necessary step to protect the people.
However in May, the FBI warned about the ransomware group after they tried to breach over twelve US healthcare and first responder organizations. Conti ransomware has been linked to so many attacks worldwide including the attack on the Ireland healthcare services (HSE) and it’s Department of Health(DoH) which they requested for a $20 million ransom payment.
