The US State Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information that could lead to the identification or location of leaders of the ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware gang. An additional $5 million prize is also being made available to anyone who tips off people — affiliates or early access brokers — who have ties to the ransomware group.
“The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any individual(s) holding a key leadership position in the transnational organized crime group behind of the ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware variant,” says the State Department statement.
The federal agency adds in the statement that a reward offer of up to $5 million is being offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of anyone conspiring or attempting to participate in ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware activities.
ALPHV emerged more than two years ago, in November 2021, and is believed to be a revamp of DarkSide and BlackMatter ransomware operations. Initially identified as DarkSide, the operation gained notoriety after the attack on Colonial Pipeline, which operates the largest oil pipeline system on the US East Coast, which prompted investigations by law enforcement agencies around the world and led to the seizure of the its infrastructure and the closure of the operation. Months later, the ransomware group returned under the name BlackMatter, which was shut down again in November 2021 and resurfaced as ALPHV/BlackCat in February 2022.
Recently, the gang took responsibility for the cyber attack on Trans-Northern Pipelines (TNPI), a company that operates 850 kilometers of oil pipelines between Ontario and Quebec and 320 kilometers in Alberta, Canada, transporting 221,300 barrels of petroleum products daily.
The FBI credits ALPHV with more than 60 breaches against organizations around the world during its first four months of activity, between November 2021 and March 2022. The ransomware gang is said to have accumulated more than $300 million in ransom payments from more than a thousand victims worldwide by September 2023.
Rewards are provided through the U.S. Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), which has paid out more than $135 million for helpful tips since 1986.
The State Department has set up a dedicated Tor SecureDrop server that can be used to send tips about ALPHV and other wanted threat operators. In January, the US government also announced rewards of up to $10 million for information about the leaders of the Hive ransomware gang. The State Department previously announced rewards of up to $15 million for tips on members and affiliates of the Hive, Clop, Conti, REvil (Sodinokibi), and Darrkside ransomware operations.
Source: CisoAdvisor, U.S Departament of State
