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A multimillion-dollar bounty has been placed on senior members of ransomware gang DarkSide.
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The US Department of State has announced it would offer a reward of up to US$10 million ($13.5 million) for information leading to the identification or location of any individuals holding a key leadership position in ransomware gang DarkSide.
A bounty of up to US$5 million ($6.7 million) would also be awarded for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction in of any individual conspiring or attempting to participate in a DarkSide variant ransomware incident.
This follows a spate of high-profile attacks perpetrated by the ransomware group, including the Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident in May 2021, which prompted the company to temporarily shut down the 8,850-kilometre pipeline carrying 45 per cent of the fuel used on the east coast of the US.
“In offering this reward, the United States demonstrates its commitment to protecting ransomware victims around the world from exploitation by cyber criminals,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
“The United States looks to nations who harbour ransomware criminals that are willing to bring justice for those victim businesses and organisations affected by ransomware.”
The reward is being offered via the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), managed in co-ordination with federal law enforcement partners as part of a whole-of-government response to cyber crime.
According to the State Department, over 75 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers have been summoned under the TOCRP and the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP) since 1986, with more than US$135 million in rewards paid for co-operation.
