Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

President Rodrigo Chaves says Costa Rica is at war with Conti hackers

President Rodrigo Chaves says Costa Rica is at war with Conti hackers

The president of Costa Rica says his country is "at war", as cyber-criminals cause major disruption to IT systems of numerous government ministries.

Rodrigo Chaves said hackers infiltrated 27 government institutions, including municipalities and state-run utilities.

The Conti ransomware cartel, which is thought to be run from Russia, has upped its ransom demand to $20m (£16m).

The criminals posted an appeal online to Costa Ricans to "go out on the street and demand payment".

Mr Chaves held a press conference on Monday to outline his "Plan for Implementation of Cyber-security Measures".

He gave no indication that he was planning on paying the ransom, in spite of growing disruption to government departments.

On Wednesday, the Costa Rican Treasury told civil servants that the hack had affected automatic payment services. It warned that they would not be paid on time, and would need to apply for their salaries by email, or on paper by hand.

The ministry said: "Due to the temporary downturn of the institutional systems, the service of issuing certificates regarding the amounts of salaries owed to the civil servants of the Central Administration is suspended.

"All applications received via email or in the windows of the National Accountancy will be attended to once systems are restored."

According to the government, the attacks also affected the country's foreign trade by hitting its tax and customs systems.

Mr Chaves launches his Plan for Implementation of Cyber-security Measures in response to the hack


The president, who was elected fewer than two weeks ago, declared the incident a "national emergency" and has repeatedly blamed his predecessor for not taking the cyber-attack seriously enough.

The hackers were demanding $10m when the attack started last month.

A government website says that a declaration of a state of emergency allows it, in exceptional cases, to undertake on its own some procedures that would normally require legislative approval.

For example, it allows the government to allocate public funds to deal with an emergency, without previous legislative consent.

"The attack being experienced by Costa Rica at the hands of cyber-criminals, cyber-terrorists, is declared a national emergency," Mr Chavez said, according to local media.

"We are signing this decree, precisely, to declare a state of national emergency across the entire public sector of the Costa Rican state, and allow our society to respond to those attacks as criminal actions."

The Conti hacking group has posted more than 600 gigabytes of government data online, and is threatening to publish more.

It has also posted on its darknet website that it will delete the decryption keys needed to restore the government's computer systems to normality, unless it is paid within a week.

"There is less than a week left when we destroy your keys, we are also working on gaining access to your other systems, you have no other options but to pay us," it threatened.


On its darknet website, Conti writes to the Costa Rican government: "You're forcing us to use terrible methods..."

And "terrible" is the word many cyber-security researchers are using to describe these new tactics the hackers are using to put pressure on the Costa Rican government to pay.

In the past, ransomware crews have attacked public bodies and local governments, but it is rare to see such a disruptive attack on a state.

It's also unprecedented to see such aggressive threats and direct appeals to Costa Ricans to "take to the streets".

The hackers also claim to have operatives on the inside of government - which may be unlikely but further piles the pressure on the president.

In some ways it all reads like desperation.

Conti has probably put a lot of work into its attack and it looks like it may come away empty-handed.

But it is also another terrible reminder of the power criminal hackers can wield, even against governments.

Conti is a prolific Russian speaking ransomware group responsible for many high-profile hacks.

In May 2021, the group carried out a "catastrophic hack" of the Irish Health Service.

On 6 May, the US offered a $10m reward for information about the group's leadership.

It blamed Conti for the cyber-attacks which hit Costa Rica.


Cyber-security researcher Maya Horowitz, of Check Point, says Costa Rica is not the only country to be targeted by criminals, who may be put off US organisations because of pressure from the authorities there.

"Recently we have seen two massive ransomware attacks in Costa Rica and Peru, both reportedly executed by the infamous Conti ransomware gang.

"Based on our latest research, Conti's extortion planning is very focused and based on the ability of the victim to pay," she added.

Mrs Horowitz said the research also suggested that the financial impact of a ransomware attack is "seven times higher than the initial extortion demand, but we assume in the case of a wide attack on a government like we see here, the total costs will be considerably more".


Watch: What is ransomware and how does it work?


Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×