Feds Offer  Million Reward For The Info That Leads to Hunt DarkSide Ransomware Group

The US authorities have recently claimed that they are willing to pay $10 million in reward to all those who yield all the important data regarding the leaders of the DarkSide cybercriminal group.

The US authorities are targetting the DarkSide cybercriminal as it has attacked the Colonial Pipeline pipeline company this spring. 

That’s why the US Department of State has explained that the information must allow them to locate any person or persons that are holding a key position in the transnational arranged crime group DarkSide.

However, the DarkSide Ransomware group is responsible for attacking the Colonial Pipeline company, and this attack led to the company’s settlement to proactively and momentarily shut down the 5500-mile pipeline.

The pipeline carries 45 percent of the fuel that was being used on the East Coast of the United States. The reward that is being offered is under the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP).

Multiple Critical Infrastructures Targeted

After being disclosed, the group hide quickly, and later it was rebranded as BlackMatter. After investigating it came to know that it has also attacked Japanese technology giant Olympus in September.

Not only this but this group has attacked “multiple” organizations considered critical infrastructure, that also include two more companies in the U.S. that are related to the food and agriculture sector. 

However, the most important point is that while offering this reward, the United States confirms its devotion to defending ransomware victims all over the world from exploitation by cybercriminals. 

While it has been claimed that nowadays it’s quite common for ransomware groups to go underground themselves, regroup, and reincarnate, usually under a new name.

But, the law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Europe, and Asia have endeavored to put a lot of stress on the hackers in many different ways, and the experts also force the cybercriminals to stop the operations or else they will be outed and arrested.

Moreover, it’s being affirmed that this method is the latest in a long line of attempts by the Biden administration to shatter all the ongoing ransomware threats.

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BALAJI is an Ex-Security Researcher (Threat Research Labs) at Comodo Cybersecurity. Editor-in-Chief & Co-Founder - Cyber Security News & GBHackers On Security.