Costa Rica’s Presidential YouTube Hacked with Bitcoin Content in Cyberattack

Costa Rica’s official presidential YouTube account was restored late Friday after suffering a cyberattack that disrupted the platform for several hours. According to a statement from President Rodrigo Chaves' office, cybersecurity experts from the presidential office, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) collaborated to regain control of the compromised channel.

Though the government has not revealed the perpetrators behind the hack or whether any sensitive data was leaked, the incident raised serious concerns. During the breach, the YouTube channel displayed a logo with the word “Strategy” alongside a Bitcoin symbol. It also featured newly uploaded cryptocurrency-related videos, which officials confirmed were not published by the presidential office.

This incident underscores the rising threat of cyberattacks involving crypto scams targeting high-profile accounts to boost credibility and mislead viewers. Authorities are continuing to investigate the breach.

Meanwhile, in broader Latin American financial news, Brazil’s currency has rebounded nearly 8% year-to-date after dropping over 20% in 2024. This comes amid changes at the central bank, as Roberto Campos Neto, appointed by former President Jair Bolsonaro, ended his term in December. Gabriel Galipolo has since taken over under a 2021 law granting central bank autonomy.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently proposed taxing all dividends sent abroad to fund income tax exemptions for the middle class. Campos Neto noted companies had rushed to transfer dividends overseas before the tax plan, with some banks facilitating these transactions via loans. He also highlighted how interest rate differentials—known as carry trades—prompted some funds to reverse direction in January to benefit from Brazil’s higher yields.