The Cyber Defense eMagazine January Edition for 2024

Over an 18-month period, Conti accumulated over $180 million in payouts, leading the US Department
of State to offer a $15 million reward for information leading to the identification or conviction of its
members.
Notably, Conti was responsible for the state of national emergency declared by Costa Rica in 2022, after
that country refused to pay a $10 million ransom and suffered a 672GB leak of sensitive data from various
Costa Rican government agencies. Costa Rica’s then newly-elected president, Rodrigo Chaves, declared
the country “at war” with cybercriminals.
Similarly, Conti hacked Peru’s premier intelligence agency, which is responsible for national, military and
police intelligence, as well as counterintelligence. They succeeded in exfiltrating 9.1GB of sensitive
intelligence data.
The group apparently disbanded after a crackdown precipitated by their public support for the Russian
invasion of Ukraine. Yet the bar they set for sheer audacity and efficacy in their attacks against
government targets remains high.
Most Recent Ransom-War Targets
In recent months, other ransomware hacking groups seem to be targeting government entities worldwide
with increasing frequency. Most notably:
• In July 2023, the city of Hayward, California declared a state of emergency, after a ransomware
attack breached the city's computer systems and networks.
• Also in July, Barts Health NHS Trust – an entity within the UK’s national healthcare system –
suffered a ransomware attack, potentially leaving data from 2.5 million people at risk.
• In February 2023, the city of Oakland, California was hit by a ransomware attack, forcing it to take
all systems offline.
• That same month, the U.S. Marshals Service – a federal government agency - suffered a
ransomware attack that exposed sensitive law enforcement information.
• In January of 2023, also in the UK, a ransomware attack shut down the Royal Mail, the country’s
largest mail delivery service.
• Also in January, a ransomware attack on San Francicso’s Bay Area Rapid Transit Authority
(BART) led to the release of sensitive files after the authority refused to pay the ransom.
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