US government unveils $10 million bounty for DarkSide ransomware gang leaders

2 years ago 258

The $10 cardinal is for intel that leads to the recognition oregon determination of anyone who holds a enactment presumption successful the DarkSide group.

Any bounty hunters retired determination could perchance people a chill $10 cardinal if they assistance the US authorities snag 1 of the leaders of the DarkSide ransomware gang. On Thursday, the US State Department announced the caller bounty, offering the wealth for immoderate accusation that helps to place oregon find 1 of the cybercriminals who has a cardinal enactment presumption successful the infamous group.

SEE: Ransomware: What IT pros request to cognize (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

The Start Department is besides touting a reward of up to $5 cardinal for info that leads to the apprehension and/or condemnation of anyone who tried to enactment successful a DarkSide variant ransomware attack. This connection widens the nett to radical who acted arsenic affiliates of DarkSide's Ransomware-as-a-Service cognition oregon those who worked with immoderate offshoots of the DarkSide ransomware. The individual's apprehension oregon condemnation tin hap successful immoderate country, frankincense avoiding the request for extradition to the US.

"In offering this reward, the United States demonstrates its committedness to protecting ransomware victims astir the satellite from exploitation by cybercriminals," the State Department said. "The United States looks to nations who harbor ransomware criminals that are consenting to bring justness for those unfortunate businesses and organizations affected by ransomware."

Ransomware has grown into a immense planetary occupation with transgression groups stealing delicate information and extorting victims for ample sums of money. Though galore gangs run worldwide, the State Department apt singled retired DarkSide owed to its attack against Colonial Pipeline this past May. That incidental forced the institution to temporarily adjacent its pipeline, which is liable for 45% of the substance delivered to the East Coast. The onslaught showed however ransomware tin interaction captious infrastructure and resources, thereby affecting a ample fig of people.

However, DarkSide's boldness successful targeting specified a captious enactment led to undue publicity astir the group, thereby shining a airy connected the caller question of ransomware attacks. That successful crook has prompted the US authorities and others to instrumentality a stronger stance against this benignant of crime, vowing to combat the occupation and bring perpetrators to justness done a assortment of measures.

"This announcement is highly noteworthy," said Sean Nikkel, elder cyberthreat intel expert astatine information supplier Digital Shadows. "While determination was a akin announcement successful July 2021 from the State Department for a $10M reward successful the combat against nation-state activity, this is the archetypal to people an histrion explicitly. For reference, the reward for accusation starring to the seizure of Osama bin Laden was $25M, truthful it does exemplify however important this accusation mightiness be, particularly since the inducement is capable that it perchance turns friends into foes."

SEE: Hiring Kit: Cybersecurity Engineer (TechRepublic Premium)

Though offering a bounty to present a transgression whitethorn dependable similar a agelong shot, the US is intelligibly counting connected the aged adage of determination being nary grant among thieves.

"As ransomware operators person adopted an affiliate exemplary for operations, the fig of radical they indispensable spot place in, adjacent astatine arm's length, has accrued dramatically," said BreachQuest co-founder and CTO Jake Williams. "With rewards this large, there's a important inducement for these criminals to crook connected 1 another. Perhaps much importantly than the circumstantial impacts to DarkSide, this enactment undermines spot crossed the ransomware arsenic a work affiliate model."

The reward is portion of the State Department's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP). Set up successful 2013, the TOCRP is designed to combat worldwide organized crime, including cybercrime. The section said that much than 75 transnational criminals and cause traffickers person been brought to justice, portion much than $135 cardinal successful rewards person been paid out.

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