(Washington) The United States announced Thursday that it is offering a $ 10 million reward for any information that helps track down the leaders of the DarkSide ransomware hacker group.
Washington has accused the Russian-based group of being behind the online attack that crippled Colonial Pipeline, the largest network of refined products pipelines in the United States, a few months ago.
Ransomware, exploits security holes in a company or individual to encrypt and block their computer systems, demanding a ransom to unlock them.
Composed, according to experts, of seasoned cybercriminals, DarkSide steals confidential data from victimized companies, often based in Western countries, and demands a ransom to “return” them.
“By offering this award, the United States is showing its commitment to preventing ransomware victims around the world from being exploited by cyber criminals,” the US State Department said in a statement.
Washington has also offered $ 5 million for information leading to the arrest or indictment in any country of anyone attempting to participate in an attack alongside DarkSide.
Cyber crime is on the rise. According to new data released in October, $ 590 million in ransomware-related payments were reported to U.S. authorities in the first half of 2021.
The figure is 42% higher than the amount disclosed by financial institutions for all of 2020, according to the US Treasury report, and there are strong indicators that the true cost is likely to be in the billions.
Businesses and institutions face intense pressure to pull out their wallets to unlock their data, but also not to reveal the attack to their clients and to authorities who have issued stern warnings against paying criminals. .