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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 17 May 2022
Ransomware gang threatens to overthrow Costa Rica government

By JAVIER CÓRDOBA attack, we have already
Associated Press shown you all the strength
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) and power, you have intro-
— A ransomware gang duced an emergency.”
that infiltrated some Costa The gang also said it was
Rican government com- raising the ransom demand
puter systems has upped to $20 million. It called on
its threat, saying its goal is Costa Ricans to pressure
now to overthrow the gov- their government to pay.
ernment. The attack has encrypted
Perhaps seizing on the government data and the
fact that President Rodrigo gang said Saturday that if
Chaves had only been in the ransom wasn’t paid in
office for a week, the Rus- one week, it would delete
sian-speaking Conti gang the decryption keys.
tried to increase the pres- The U.S. State Department
sure to pay a ransom by statement last week said
raising its demand to $20 the Conti group had been
million. responsible for hundreds of
Chaves suggested Mon- ransomware incidents dur-
day in a news conference ing the past two years.
that the attack was com- “The FBI estimates that as
ing from inside as well as of January 2022, there had
outside Costa Rica. Costa Rica’s former finance minister Rodrigo Chaves speaks to supporters at his headquarters in been over 1,000 victims of
“We are at war and that’s San Jose, Costa Rica, after winning a presidential runoff election, Sunday, April 3, 2022. attacks associated with
not an exaggeration,” Associated Press Conti ransomware with
Chaves said. He said of- tacks in the waning days of “However, the threat that were also affected and a victim payouts exceeding
ficials were battling a na- his government. they could cause more dis- month later not all are fully $150,000,000, making the
tional terrorist group that Despite Conti’s threat, ex- ruption than they already functioning. Conti Ransomware variant
had collaborators inside perts see regime change have is potentially real Chaves declared a state the costliest strain of ran-
Costa Rica. as a highly unlikely — or and that there is no way of of emergency over the somware ever document-
Chaves also said the im- even the real goal. knowing how many other attack as soon as he was ed,” the statement said.
pact was broader than “We haven’t seen anything government departments sworn in last week. The U.S. While the attack is adding
previously known, with 27 even close to this before they may have compro- State Department offered unwanted stress to Chaves’
government institutions, in- and it’s quite a unique situ- mised but not yet encrypt- a $10 million reward for in- early days in office, it’s un-
cluding municipalities and ation,” said Brett Callow, a ed.” formation leading to the likely there was anything
state-run utilities, affected. ransomware analyst at Em- Conti attacked Costa Rica identification or location of but a monetary motivation
He blamed his predeces- sisoft. “The threat to over- in April, accessing multiple Conti leaders. for the gang.
sor Carlos Alvarado for not throw the government is critical systems in the Fi- Conti responded by writ- “I believe this is simply a
investing in cybersecurity simply them making noise nance Ministry, including ing, “We are determined for-profit cyber attack,”
and for not more aggres- and not to be taken too se- customs and tax collection. to overthrow the govern- Callow, the analyst said.
sively dealing with the at- riously, I wouldn’t say. Other government systems ment by means of a cyber “Nothing more.”q

Former Australian envoy says

Australia’s lost Pacific trust

By ROD McGUIRK to 1985. Australia and its na scaled up its influence in
Associated Press allies including the United the region.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) States fear the pact will “We had a vision,” he said.
— A former Australian en- result in a Chinese naval “It was underpinned by the
voy to the Solomons Islands presence less than 2,000 ki- fact that if we could assist
has accused Australia’s lometers (1,200 miles) from these governments reach
government of losing the the northeast Australian economic security through
trust of South Pacific island coast. trade and aid then they
countries and of ushering in Prime Minister Scott Morri- would certainly be able to
greater Chinese influence. son argues that he is better manage their own affairs.”
Retired career diplomat able than opposition lead- “But we’ve lost that vision Former Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands Trevor
Trevor Sofield told a secu- er Anthony Albanese to and we’ve lost that trust Sofield gestures after he is stopped from speaking to Prime
rity summit on Monday he take on the security threats that we developed over Minister Scott Morrison near Elizabeth Town, Australia, May 12,
found it “inconceivable” posed by China and to time,” Sofield added. 2022.
that the Solomons govern- strengthen relations with Albanese’s center-left La- Associated Press
ment did not trust Australia Washington, Australia’s bor Party has condemned partnership with the Unit- The so-called AUKUS agree-
enough to consult when a most important defense the Sino-Solomons pact ed States and Britain an- ment has become a po-
bilateral security pact with partner. Sofield, who was as Australia’s worst foreign nounced in September litical battleground since
Beijing was first considered. manhandled by security policy failure in the Pacific that will supply Australia an Australian newspaper
“That would not have hap- staff when he attempted since World War II. with a fleet of submarines reported on Saturday that
pened a few years ago,” to speak to Morrison at a Morrison argues the blame powered by U.S. nuclear the United States had set
said Sofield, who was Aus- campaign event last week, lies with China for interfer- technology was as major bipartisan support as a
tralian high commissioner said Australia had “lost its ing in the Pacific. achievement to boost Aus- prerequisite for any agree-
to the Solomons from 1982 way” in the Pacific as Chi- Morrison boasts that a tralia’s security. ment going ahead.q