Prodhab opened an administrative investigation after the National Cybersecurity Directorate flagged alleged personal-data material posted on the dark web. A DarkForums user claimed to possess multiple databases containing hundreds of millions of records, including salary, address, court and telephone data, plus emails and ownership information. Judicial authorities opened a criminal probe and the Central Bank denies any breach. Prodhab warns citizens to be vigilant and to strengthen account security.
Costa Rica Launches Probe After Alleged Massive Dark-Web Data Dump
The data their person published information purportedly belonging to Costa Rican President Laura Fernández as a sample of the material. File Photo by Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA
San José, Costa Rica — Costa Rica's data protection authority, the Agency for the Protection of Citizens' Data (Prodhab), has opened an administrative investigation after receiving a technical report from the National Cybersecurity Directorate about alleged personal-data material posted on the dark web.
What Was Claimed
A user on the DarkForums site posted that they had obtained multiple databases from a Costa Rican credit reporting source. The post claimed the caches included hundreds of millions of records: salary entries, addresses, court records, telephone listings and citizen files, as well as email addresses, photographs, vehicle information, marriage records and beneficial ownership details.
The poster provided a sample allegedly belonging to President Laura Fernández; cybersecurity analysts said the files appeared to contain a mix of personal, financial, legal, employment and property information.
Official Response
Prodhab has issued a formal request for information and said it is working with the National Cybersecurity Directorate to assess the authenticity, origin and scope of the material. Judicial authorities have opened a parallel criminal investigation.
Authorities stress that the reported counts represent the number of records, not necessarily unique individuals, since a single person may appear multiple times or across different datasets. Prodhab also cautioned that, at this stage, investigators cannot definitively attribute the material to any private company or government institution without further technical and forensic analysis.
The Central Bank of Costa Rica has publicly denied any breach of its systems and said there is no technical evidence linking the leaked material to its Registry of Transparency and Beneficial Owners.
Advice To The Public
Prodhab urged residents to be vigilant for unexpected calls, emails or messages asking for personal or financial information. The agency recommended using unique passwords for each online account, enabling multifactor authentication, and avoiding links or attachments from unknown senders.
What Happens Next
Investigators will continue forensic analyses to establish the provenance and authenticity of the data and to determine whether any institutional systems were compromised. Officials have asked organizations and individuals to report suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities.
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