Rodrigo Chaves, new president of Costa Rica elected a few weeks ago, has to face a cyberattack on a very large scale. Conti hackers (the most powerful cybercriminals in the world) have breached the IT infrastructure of 27 government institutions, including many ministries. Rodrigo Chaves says to himself ” in war “ against these Russian-backed hackers.
Costa Rica is in a chaotic situation
Just days ago, the President of Costa Rica declared a national state of emergency after an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks. The country is currently in a chaotic situation. Conti, a group of Kremlin-backed cybercriminals, claimed responsibility for the cyberattacks and even threatens to carry out future attacks “in a more serious form”. Rodrigo Chaves also criticizes his predecessor for not having taken this cyberattack seriously. The hackers have launched an online appeal to Costa Ricans to “take to the streets and demand that their government pay the ransom”.
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For his part, Rodrigo Chaves does not seem determined to pay this ransom. On May 18, 2022, the country’s Treasury informed officials that the hack had affected automatic payment services. He warned that they would not be paid on time and that they should request their salary by email, or on paper, by hand. According to the government, the attacks also affected the country’s foreign trade by hitting its tax and customs systems. The declared state of emergency allows the President to to undertake certain procedures alone which would normally require legislative approval.
Rodrigo Chaves does not want to pay the ransom
On a dark web platform, Conti talks to the government of Costa Rica and explains that “you are forcing us to use terrible methods”. Attacks on governments are becoming more frequent, but it is exceptional to see such a disruptive cyberattack against a state. It is certainly the first time that a government has been taken hostage as is the case here. It is also unprecedented to observe such threats and direct appeals to the inhabitants of the country to encourage them to put pressure on their government.
The hackers claim to have agents inside the government, which may not be true, but this further increases the pressure on the president. According to Maya Horowitz, cybersecurity researcher at Check Point, Costa Rica is not the only country being targeted by these cybercriminals at the moment. She specifies that “Recently, we witnessed two massive ransomware attacks in Costa Rica and Peru, both of which were executed by Conti”. The hackers rely in particular on the victim’s ability to pay. For now, Costa Rica is holding its own!