US Offers up to $10M Reward for Info Leading to Leaders of Notorious Ransomware Gang

If you’ve got information on one of the world’s most prolific ransomware gangs, you could stand to make a cool $10 million.

The Department of State on Thursday announced a reward of up to $10 million for anyone who can provide information leading to the identification or location of a leader of the ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware group as well up to a $5 million reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction of anyone participating in a ransomware attack using the variant.

There have been more than 1,000 victims globally of ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware, said the department. Late in 2023, the FBI seized websites of the notorious ransomware group and, they said, saved around 500 victims about $99 million in ransom demands by developing a decryption tool that restored computer systems.

Related: US Seizes BlackCat Ransomware Site, Offering Decryption Tool

The Department of Justice and FBI last month announced a cooperative effort with law enforcement agency groups from the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Spain, and Denmark, to launch a disruption campaign against the notorious ransomware gang ALPHV/Blackcat.

The reward is offered under the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), which supports law enforcement efforts to disrupt transnational crime globally and bring fugitives to justice.

Earlier this year, a ransomware report from Travelers subsidiary Corvus Insurance found ransomware is on the rise, with attacks in 2023 surpassing 2022 totals by 68%. Ransomware gangs in 2023 stole a record of more than $1 billion in 2023, according to a report published by Chainalysis.