Costa Rica Thwarts the aim of Conti Ransomware Attacks

Costa Rica last week suffered a Ransomware attack. The group responsible for the offensive has been identified and the country’s president disclosed that the objective of the attackers failed.

Why Costa Rica?

The president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado Quesdo addressed the public on the recent cyberattack on government’s computer systems. He said the assault was aimed at destabilizing the nation as it transitions its way into a new administration under President-elect Rodrigo Charles.

A Russia-based ransomware group Conti has been identified as responsible for the attack on the nation, which forced Ireland’s health system to shutdown its information technology system last year.

The ransomware group has claimed six public institutions this week. One of the victims of the attack was the Costa Rica Finance Ministry, the Finance Minister was the first to report problems.

He noted that the systems have been affected, from tax collections, to importation and exportation processes through the customs agency. The Conti ransomware group, threatens to release the stolen or encrypted data from the Costa Rica Finance ministry and requests $10 million dollars as ransom payment.

The Conti ransomware announced the breach on its personal website and has been releasing more of the stolen data. Conti indicated that it has already published 50% of the stolen data on its extortion site.

The group expanded its attack from the Finance Ministry to the Labor Ministry, exploiting multiple government services. Alvarado responded to the attack by saying that the country would not make any ransom payments to its attackers and he believes it’s not an issue of money.

He stated that the attack is not an issue for money but seeks to threaten the stability of the country in a situation of transition. The Finance Ministry warns citizens to be on guard against any suspicious activity like phishing attacks and phone calls,