Last week, the Government of Costa Rica declared a national state of emergency following a ransomware attack by the hacker group Conti. Days later, the situation has not improved and is likely to get worse by the hour. Conti’s hackers, in fact, threatened the Costa Rican government by anticipating further access to the country’s IT systems and even threatening a real coup thanks also to alleged men already within the local government forces.
From hacker attack to coup: the situation in Costa Rica could get worse
The Conti hacker group is serious and intends to receive the ransom requested by the local authorities. The collective has already increased the demand, doubling it to 20 million dollars, and does not intend to slow down. According to what was communicated by the hackers, the situation could get worse: A spokesman for Conti has, in fact, sent a message to the Costa Rican government saying: “We have our experts in your government. We are also working to gain access to your other systems, you have no other options but to pay us ”.
There is an American bounty on hackers
The US State Department fixed one bounty of 10 million dollars on Conti which in the past has led to several attacks on international institutions and companies. At the moment, however, there is no news on the hacker group. According to preliminary information, the attack on Costa Rica would be larger than previously predicted, with 27 government institutions involved.