Sep 14, 2026 · 4 min · 5 segments
In 2022, a ransomware gang did what only hurricanes and wars had done before — forced an entire nation into a state of emergency. Adam and Chloe unpack how Conti brought Costa Rica to its knees, wiped…
So let's set the scene.
April 2022, a Russian-speaking ransomware gang called Conti sets its sights on Costa Rica, and they don't just breach one agency.
They tear through roughly twenty-seven government institutions.
The Ministry of Finance gets hit the hardest.
Tax collection, gone.
Custom systems, gone.
And here's where it gets scary for the economy.
International trade grinds to a halt.
Contemporary estimates put the losses at thirty to thirty-eight million dollars per day.
Per day, Chloe.
Let that sink in.
And Conti demands a massive ransom.
They start at ten million, then bump it to twenty million dollars.
But by May 8th, the pressure was so intense he did something almost unheard of in the cyber world.
He declared a national state of emergency.
Think about that.
A state of emergency is what you declare for hurricanes, earthquakes, wars.
And that's the moment cybersecurity crossed a line into national security.
This wasn't theft.
This was digital hostage-taking of an entire country.
So let's set the scene.
April 2022, a Russian-speaking ransomware gang called Conti sets its sights on Costa Rica, and they don't just breach one agency.
They tear through roughly twenty-seven government institutions.
The Ministry of Finance gets hit the hardest.
Tax collection, gone.
Custom systems, gone.
And here's where it gets scary for the economy.
International trade grinds to a halt.
Contemporary estimates put the losses at thirty to thirty-eight million dollars per day.
Per day, Chloe.
Let that sink in.
And Conti demands a massive ransom.
They start at ten million, then bump it to twenty million dollars.
But by May 8th, the pressure was so intense he did something almost unheard of in the cyber world.
He declared a national state of emergency.
Think about that.
A state of emergency is what you declare for hurricanes, earthquakes, wars.
And that's the moment cybersecurity crossed a line into national security.
This wasn't theft.
This was digital hostage-taking of an entire country.
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3 of 4
A Nation Held Hostage
A cyberattack forced Costa Rica into crisis
Ransomware Hits Healthcare
The attack then spread into public healthcare
Ransomware Becomes Geopolitical
This attack changed how nations view ransomware
+1 more clip · 2 min 28 sec of audio in all
7 of 25
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