Ransomware Attacks Force Costa Rica To Shut Downs Its Computers: What Went Wrong?
Last month, Russian ransomware gang Conti threatened to overthrow the country's government. As if that weren't enough, now Costa Rica has been attacked by another ransomware gang called Hive
Costa Rica is a Central American country sandwiched between the Caribbean and Pacific. The country is now facing a ransomware crisis. Last month, Russian ransomware gang Conti threatened to overthrow the country's government.
As if that weren't enough, now Costa Rica has been attacked by another ransomware gang called Hive. As reported by AP, Hive has affected Costa Rica's Social Security system, while also leaving a mark on the country's public health agency.
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A worn out and defeated government
Last Tuesday, the health agency of Costa Rica had no choice but to shut down its computers in hopes of preventing a malware attack. So far, the Costa Rican government claims at least 30 of the agency's 1,500 servers have been infected, with no efforts working in favour of the government. Hive is now demanding $5 million in Bitcoin if the government wants to unlock infected systems.
A ransomware analyst at Emsisoft, Brett Callow said that it's possible that Conti and Hive may have established a mutually favourable working relationship. Currently, 300 experts are working on the issue.
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Also read: Indian Ransomware Holds People's Data Hostage Until They Perform Three Good Deeds
In the meantime, Costa Rica has opted to do things the old way - on paper! Ransomware attacks are becoming the norm now. In fact, an IBM X-Force analysis claims that between 2019 and 2021, the average time to deploy ransomware dropped from 1,600 to just 3.85 days.
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Most ransomware attacks begin with an an initial access broker (IAB) that breaks into a system to start selling their access. Conti, with its TrickBot malware was seen as primarily responsible for increasing the speeds of ransomware attacks.
Also read: A Ransomware Attack Permanently Shut Down A College In The US
If this worries you, your best bet is to keep your systems updates, to perform regular backups, and to assess the health of those backups every now and then.
What do you think about an entire government on its toes by hackers? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
References
Costa Rica public health system targeted by ransomware. (2022, June 1). AP NEWS.
Vigliarolo, B. (2022, June 6). Costa Rican government held up by ransomware . . . again. The Register.
Countdown to Ransomware: Analysis of Ransomware Attack Timelines. (2022, June 1). Security Intelligence.
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