U.S. Offers $15 Million Bounty Over Costa Rica Ransomware Attack

On Friday, the US government took action, as Costa Rica suffers fallout from the attack.

Bounty on Conti

The US government has issued a bounty on those involved in a massive cyberattack on the Costa Rican government. It was initiated by the Conti ransomware group in April this year. Its fallout has persisted.

The rewards consist “of up to $10,000,000 for information leading to the identification and/or location of any individual(s) who hold a key leadership position in the Conti ransomware variant transnational organized crime group”.

It also added a $5 million bounty “for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of any individual in any country conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in a Conti variant ransomware incident”.

The hackers’ activities affected several government agencies and bodies, including:

• The Ministry of Finance
• The Ministry of Labor and Social Security
• The Social Development and Family Allowances Fund
• The Interuniversity Headquarters of Alajuela

The effect of the malware had a severe impact on Costa Rica’s foreign trade, disrupting its customs and taxes platforms.

A National Emergency

On Sunday, Costa Rica’s president, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, declared a state of emergency over the continued effects of the attack.

After the incident, the hackers demanded a $10 million ransom from the government. The outgoing president Carlos Alvarado declined to pay. Subsequently, the group leaked some of the over 670 GB of data stolen.

President Robles says that the national emergency will allow the channeling of more resources to the affected government entities.