SAN JOSu00c9 u2014 A massive ransomware attack brought Costa Ricau2019s public health network to its knees Friday, forcing the shutdown of digital appointment systems, prescription databases and laboratory results across all 29 public hospitals. Emergency rooms reverted to paper records and at least six major hospitals cancelled elective procedures.
The attack, attributed by government sources to the BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware group, encrypted the CCSS (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) central database overnight. The government declared a national cybersecurity emergency and shut down external connections to the CCSS network as a precaution. No patient data is believed to have been exfiltrated, though officials said the investigation is ongoing.
President Rodrigo Chaves described the attack as u201can act of terrorism against the Costa Rican peopleu201d and announced an emergency procurement for cybersecurity consultants. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) offered technical assistance. The attack follows a similar strike on Costa Ricau2019s electricity regulatory agency in April.
Written by Diego Vargas, Latin America Correspondent