Thousands of victims and millions of ransoms: it’s time to stop this chaos. The US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for any information that helps identify and capture the leaders of the ALPHV/Blackcat hacker group. The gang specializes in cyber extortion and has already attacked thousands of companies in recent years. An additional $5 million is promised for data on individuals who are about to join Blackcat's criminal activities. According to experts, this should scare off potential participants, depriving the group of support. From November 2021 to March 2022, Blackcat carried out more than 60 hacks worldwide, the FBI said. “The scale of their activities is amazing,” a bureau representative commented. According to the latest data, by September 2023, at least $300 million in ransoms had been received from more than 1,000 victims. “This is a huge amount of money, and we will make every effort to stop the criminals,” the State Department said. In a released statement, the State Department promised that "a reward will be paid for information regarding the location or identity of any of the key leaders of the group behind the development and distribution of the ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware." The payments will be made as part of the initiative to combat transnational organized crime. As the department noted, since 1986, more than $135 million has already been paid out under this program. To securely transmit information about Blackcat and other wanted criminals, the State Department launched a special encrypted server, Tor SecureDrop, on the darknet. According to department officials, this will help maintain the anonymity of informants. Recently, US authorities have stepped up efforts to find and apprehend cybercriminals. In January, a similar reward of $10 million was announced for data on the leaders of the Hive group. Previously, large sums were promised for information about those involved in Conti, REvil (Sodinokibi), Darkside and other dangerous hacker communities. According to experts, such measures will at a minimum make life more difficult for criminals and weaken their potential.
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Reward for Information: ALPHV/Blackcat Ransomware as a Service - United States Department of State
REWARD FOR INFORMATION: ALPHV/BLACKCAT RANSOMWARE AS A SERVICE – REWARDS OF UP TO $15 MILLION REWARD OF UP TO $15 MILLION NAME: ALPHV/Blackcat Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) NATIONALITY: Various (Unknown) CITIZENSHIP: Various (Unknown) The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to...www.state.gov