Costa Rican president says country is ‘at war’ with Conti ransomware group

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Costa Rica has become a battleground for politics due to the rise of the Conti gang. The new Costa Rican president, who took office ten days ago, declared that the country was at war with the cybercriminal gang.

In a statement made to press on May 16th, President Chaves said that he was receiving help from people within the country and called on international allies to help.

The war is against an international terrorist group that has operatives in Costa Rica. There are clear indications that people in the country are collaborating with one another.

The declaration of war by President Chaves comes in the face of the rhetoric from the group, which stated its intent to overthrow the government by means of a cyberattack.

The US government has offered a bounty of up to $10 million for information that could identify or locate the main coordinators of the group, or $5 million for information leading to the arrest of any member.

The Costa Rican government was hit by a large-scale attack on their computer system, which points to the continued ability of the largest groups to operate on a scale that can pose a threat to nation states, and draw on funding reserves that allow them to buy their way into some of the most

Jon Miller, CEO and co-founder, said that the ability to get access to the networks is limited by the groups' own desire. This is a growing problem.

The Costa Rican crisis is having an effect on the citizens of the country. The finance ministry and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security are among the 27 government agencies hit. The government was unable to collect taxes through traditional means.

The Costa Rican president has not budged from his position that the government will not pay for the gang's services. The situation has reached a stand-off, but one that will be closely watched by other governments, hoping to avoid a similar fate.