High
May 8, 2022:
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves has declared a national cybersecurity emergency following the crippling of the country’s government and economy by the Conti ransomware attack.
Conti allegedly demanded a $10 million ransom from Costa Rica in exchange for the data from the Ministry of Finance not being released, but the government refused to respond.
Researchers also observed that Conti published most of the 672 GB dump containing data belonging to the Costa Rican government agencies.
Conti’s leak site lists the following government purportedly affected by the attack:
The Costa Rican Finance Minsitry, Ministerio de Hacienda
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security, MTSS
The Social Development and Family Allowances Fund, FODESAF
The Interuniversity Headquarters of Alajuela, SIUA
The Peru MOF – Dirección General de Inteligencia (DIGIMIN) recently added to the list of victims on the Conti ransomware group’s Tor leak site. According to the Conti ransomware group, they have stole 9.41 GB of data. The National Directorate of Intelligence is Peru’s top intelligence agency which is responsible for national, military, and counterintelligence.
The Conti ransomware group has been responsible for hundreds of ransomware outbreaks over the last two years. According to a State Department spokesperson, this group has targeted over 1,000 victims who have paid over $150 million in ransoms till January 2022.
A $15 million reward –
To counteract Conti’s ransomware attacks on Costa Rica and others, the United States offered a $15 million reward for information leading to identifying and locating the renowned Conti ransomware group’s leadership and co-conspirators.
A $10 million reward is attainable for the info on Conti leaders’ identity and location, also an additional $5 million is available for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of people who collaborated or tried to engage in Conti ransomware attacks.