Costa Rica declares national emergency amid Conti cyberattacks

After cyber attacks by the Russian-based Conti ransomware gang crippled computer networks across multiple government agencies, including the Finance Ministry, Costa Rica has declared a state of emergency.

 

The official declaration, posted on a government website on Wednesday, is thought to be the first of its kind by a government in response to a cyber-attack. The attack was described as “cyber-terrorism” in a decree signed by newly-elected President Rodrigo Chaves.

 

The attack was described as “unprecedented in the country,” disrupting tax collection and exposing citizens’ personal information. The emergency declaration gives president Rodrigo Chaves the authority to hire external cybersecurity experts without waiting for permission from the country’s legislative assembly.

 

The attack began in April when the Finance Ministry was the first to report that its systems were affected, including tax collection and customs. Later, hackers were able to spread to other agencies, including the Ministry of Science, Technology, Telecommunications, and the National Meteorological Institute.

 

Conti gang claimed responsibility for the attacks. It is suspected of extorting millions of dollars from the Costa Rican government after crashing IT systems in several ministries and threatening to publish stolen data online. Costa Rica never considered paying the ransom because participating in such negotiations is against national law. According to reports, the Conti group has leaked 97 percent of the stolen data. It is currently unclear whether the attacks have a political or purely financial motivation.