Conti's Attack Against Costa Rica Sparks a New Ransomware Era

[Disir]

FOR THE LAST two months, Costa Rica has been under siege. Two major ransomware attacks have crippled many of the country’s essential services, plunging the government into chaos as it scrambles to respond. Officials say that international trade ground to a halt as the ransomware took hold and more than 30,000 medical appointments have been rescheduled, while tax payments have also been disrupted. Millions have been lost due to the attacks, and staff at affected organizations have turned to pen and paper to get things done.

Costa Rica’s government, which changed midway through the attacks after elections earlier this year, has declared a “national emergency” in response to the ransomware—marking the first time a country has done so in response to a cyberattack. Twenty-seven government bodies were targeted in the first attacks, which ran from mid-April until the start of May, according to new president Rodrigo Chaves. The second attack, at the end of May, has sent Costa Rica’s health care system into a spiral. Chaves has declared “war” on those responsible.

Conti's Attack Against Costa Rica Sparks a New Ransomware Era

A pair of ransomware attacks crippled parts of the country—and rewrote the rules of cybercrime.

www.wired.com

Why overthrow the Costa Rican government? Costa Rica is tiny. It makes about as much sense as overthrowing the Cuban government. They are like a speck.