Instituto Meteorológico Nacional and racsa.go.cr Listed by conti Ransomware Group: Ransomware Claim — What’s Alleged & What To Do
The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional and racsa.go.cr Listed by conti Ransomware Group (reported April 19, 2022) is an unverified claim; the data involved is undisclosed belonging to roughly unknown people. If you have an account with them, your information may now be circulating on the open web and with data brokers. Here’s exactly what happened, how to check if you were affected, and what to do next.
What happened
The Conti group added the Costa Rican meteorological institute and its associated domain to its leak site on the reported date. The entry indicates that files were exfiltrated. No additional details on the date of the intrusion, the volume of data, the encryption of systems, or any ransom demand have been made public. The organization has not issued a statement confirming or denying the listing.
Who is conti?
Conti is a ransomware operation that emerged publicly around 2020 and became known for a double-extortion model: encrypting victim systems while also copying data and threatening to publish it. The group has used affiliate arrangements in which multiple actors deploy its tools. Its operators have maintained a leak site where they list organizations that have not met their demands, posting sample files or directory listings as evidence of access. Public reporting has linked the group to campaigns against entities in multiple countries and sectors, though specific claims about any single victim remain unverified until independently confirmed.
About Instituto Meteorológico Nacional and racsa.go.cr
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional is Costa Rica’s national weather service, responsible for collecting meteorological observations, issuing forecasts, and maintaining climate records. The domain racsa.go.cr belongs to Radiográfica Costarricense, the state telecommunications entity that has historically provided network and hosting services to government institutions, including the meteorological institute. Organizations of this type routinely store observational data, internal operational logs, communications with other agencies, and administrative records. A successful intrusion can therefore affect both scientific archives and the supporting government infrastructure.
What was likely exposed
The only information released is that internal files were allegedly exfiltrated. The precise categories of data, file counts, or time periods covered remain undisclosed. Meteorological agencies typically hold weather-station readings, forecast models, equipment-maintenance records, and limited administrative information such as staff directories or procurement documents. Whether any of these categories were among the files listed by the group is unconfirmed.
Why it matters
Operational data from a national weather service supports aviation, agriculture, disaster preparedness, and public-safety decisions. Exposure of internal files could reveal system configurations or inter-agency contacts that are not intended for public release. For individuals, the risk depends on whether any personal identifiers appear in the exfiltrated material; at present that remains unknown. The incident also highlights the exposure of smaller government technical agencies that may have fewer dedicated security resources than larger ministries.
If your data was in this claimed breach
Monitor official statements from Instituto Meteorológico Nacional or the Costa Rican government for any later confirmation of affected records. Use a reputable breach-checking service to scan your email address against known public data sets. If you receive any unexpected communications referencing the institute, verify them through official channels rather than responding directly. Keep routine backups of personal records and enable multi-factor authentication on accounts that may share email addresses with government services.
AICompiled with AI assistance from public sources and published under our editorial standards.
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Publicly posted by conti — unverified claim, pending independent verification
Breach listings — particularly those originating from ransomware or leak sites — are third-party claims that may be unverified, incomplete, or inaccurate. A listing does not by itself confirm that a breach occurred or that any specific data was exposed. Severity is an automated assessment, not a definitive rating. Verification status is shown where available.
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