Security News > 2022 > July > Conti’s Reign of Chaos: Costa Rica in the Crosshairs
Aamir Lakhani, with FortiGuard Labs, answers the question; Why is the Conti ransomware gang targeting people and businesses in Costa Rica?
The Conti ransomware group is behind many prominent attacks, including the one that took down the Irish healthcare service in May 2021.
The bureau identified at least 16 attacks by Conti ransomware against U.S. healthcare and First Responder networks, including emergency medical services, law enforcement agencies and 9-1-1 dispatch centers last year.
The attack on Costa Rica has cost the nation millions of dollars.
Conti has been direct in its desire to not only extort money but to overthrow the Costa Rican government - that's a new wrinkle in ransomware that only adds to the attackers' notoriety.
FortiGuard Labs researchers recently uncovered a new variant of Chaos ransomware in which the attacker has no intention of providing a decryption tool or file instructions - it's all about destroying whatever it can.