Tag Archive for: begins

Costa Rican president begins tenure with ransomware national emergency declaration

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Written by AJ Vicens
May 9, 2022 | CYBERSCOOP

The new president of Costa Rica declared a national emergency over the weekend as fallout continues from a late-April ransomware attack.

President Rodrigo Chaves Robles, who began a four-year term as president Sunday after winning the country’s April 4 election, signed the declaration on May 8 as one of his first official acts, according to local news outlet Amelia Rueda. The executive decree reads, in part, that Costa Rica is “suffering from cybercriminals, cyberterrorists” and that the decree allows “our society to respond to these attacks as criminal acts.”

Somebody calling themselves “unc1756” using the Russian-based Conti ransomware platform claimed responsibility for the April 17 attacks in a post on the Conti dark web data portal. The post indicates that 97% of the stolen data has been published so far, totaling more than 672 gigabytes of information.

The post also blames the government of Costa Rica for not paying the original $10 million ransomware demand, which outgoing President Carlos Alvarado said was an attempt to “threaten the country’s stability in a transitional situation.”

The hacker message reads: “It is impossible to look at the decisions of the administration of the President of Costa Rica without irony … All this could have been avoided by paying you would have made your country really safe, but you will turn to Bid0n (sic) and his henchmen, this old fool will soon die.” The poster went on to say the purpose of the attack was “to earn money” and “in the future I will definitely carry out attacks of a more serious format with a larger team, Costa Rica is a demo version.”

Screenshot of the message posted along with the Costa Rican files as of May 9, 2022.

Shortly after the Costa Rica attacks, nearly 9.5 gigabytes of data taken from Peru’s intelligence agency were posted to the Conti leak site. One of the file names in that dump referenced “unc1756,” but it’s not clear if the same people were behind both attacks.

Screenshot of the purported Peruvian intelligence agency files on Conti’s data portal.

The term…

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Street fighting begins in Kyiv; people urged to seek shelter

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine’s capital early Saturday, and street fighting broke out as city officials urged residents to take shelter. The country’s president refused an American offer to evacuate, insisting that he would stay. “The fight is here,” he said.

The clashes followed two days of fighting that resulted in hundreds of casualties and pummeled bridges, schools and apartment buildings. U.S. officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and replace it with a regime of his own.

The assault represented Putin’s boldest effort yet to redraw the world map and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence. It triggered new international efforts to end the invasion, including direct sanctions on Putin.

As his country confronted explosions and gunfire, and as the fate of Kyiv hung in the balance, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for a cease-fire and warned in a bleak statement that multiple cities were under attack.

“This night we have to stand firm,” he said. “The fate of Ukraine is being decided right now.”

Zelenskyy was urged to evacuate Kyiv at the behest of the U.S. government but turned down the offer, according to a senior American intelligence official with direct knowledge of the conversation. The official quoted the president as saying that “the fight is here” and that he needed anti-tank ammunition but “not a ride.”

City officials in Kyiv urged residents to take shelter, to stay away from windows and to take precautions to avoid flying debris or bullets.

The Kremlin accepted Kyiv’s offer to hold talks, but it appeared to be an effort to squeeze concessions out of the embattled Zelenskyy instead of a gesture toward a diplomatic solution.

The Russian military continued its advance, laying claim Friday to the southern Ukraine city of Melitopol. Still, it was unclear in the fog of war how much of Ukraine is still under Ukrainian control and how much or little Russian forces have seized.

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As fighting persisted, Ukraine’s military reported shooting down an II-76 Russian transport plane carrying paratroopers near Vasylkiv, a city 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of…

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Southwestern College Begins 3 Career Training Courses in Technology

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Southwestern College library. Image via swcwhatsnew.blogspot.com

Southwestern College launched a series of career training classes Tuesday offering students hands-on experience and skills to succeed in several prospective career paths expected to rise in demand over the next few years.

The programs — drone technology and applications, cyber security and fire science technology — are focused on computer and information technology. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job occupations in those sectors are projected to grow 11% from 2019 to 2029 with an additional 521,200 jobs in the market. For firefighters, employment is expected to grow 6% from 2019 to 2029.

“We want to prepare the next generation of young professionals with all the right tools, skills and resources to succeed in their professional careers,” Southwestern Superintendent and President Mark Sanchez said. “As we will have in-person classes in the fall, we want to keep supporting our students through their professional development journey and ensure their prospective workforce is more equitable and accessible for all.”

The new programs are:

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New Mexico’s 2021 Legislative Session begins Tuesday

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SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The 2021 state legislative session has just kicked off Tuesday. Lawmakers are back in Santa Fe for the long 60-day session but with the pandemic, it will be very different than before. The Rotunda is a spot that is typically packed with people but because of COVID-19 health concerns, the Roundhouse will look empty during the session.

Typically these committee rooms would be jammed pack with people but the Roundhouse is closed to the public because of pandemic concerns, Jan. 19, 2021. | KRQE News 13 Legislative Reporter Rachel Knapp

Lawmakers are expected to take care of housekeeping rules like how they want to run the session, getting sworn in, and voting on new leadership for committees and in each chamber. They’ll discuss if they want to have meetings and floor sessions virtually or in person. Over the next 60-days, lawmakers will have to figure out how to spend a roughly $7.3 billion budget. Lawmakers are expected to focus heavily on pandemic relief efforts for businesses and families as well as controversial bills like making recreational marijuana legal.

Meanwhile, there is heightened security at the Roundhouse Tuesday. Checkpoints and fencing are around the Capitol as a precaution as some lawmakers said before the session, they’ve gotten credible and specific threats of violence. Only lawmakers, legislative staff, and credential reporters are allowed in the Roundhouse right now and they’re requiring reporters to regularly get COVID-19 tests.

Lastly, the public is not allowed inside the Roundhouse for this session because of coronavirus health concerns, which is making the state’s Capitol look and feel very empty, typically it’s buzzing with visitors and lobbyists. In the chambers, they’ve even installed dividers to help protect lawmakers. Some legislators say although the public can’t come inside, they’re encouraging people to still participate remotely.

“We are going to be working through Zooms, we’re going to be making sure people are still connected. We want…

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