The Biden administration is providing $25 million in grant assistance to the Costa Rican government to aid in its recovery from a series of ransomware attacks in 2020.
The Costa Rican government believes the attacks were related to its “strong support for Ukraine.” The funding will primarily go towards establishing a new security operations center inside the Ministry of Science, Innovation, Technology, and Telecommunications to detect, prevent, and respond to cyberattacks. The center will also help strengthen networks across the entire Costa Rican government against future cyber threats.
Costa Rica has experienced a series of ransomware attacks in the past year that have affected various government agencies, including the public health system, finance ministry, and transportation agency.
These attacks resulted in delayed government employee paychecks and resident tax filings.
In May 2020, Conti, a Russian ransomware gang, claimed responsibility for the first attack and demanded a $20 million extortion payout. In January 2021, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport reported that 12 of its servers were encrypted due to another attack.
The new funding sets a precedent for the Biden administration to offer aid to allies facing cyberattacks from foreign adversaries.
The US is increasingly providing grant assistance to allied nations facing such attacks. Albania was also given $50 million in aid as it recovers from Iranian state-linked ransomware attacks on its networks.
Costa Rica has also applied to join the Counter Ransomware Initiative, a U.S.-led group of 37 governments working together to fight ransomware.
Current member governments will have a chance to provide input on Costa Rica’s potential membership before a formal invitation is offered.
