State Department offers $10M for information on Blackcat ransomware ring

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department announced Thursday a reward of up to $10 million for information about anyone who holds a key leadership position in the ALPHV or Blackcat ransomeware group.

The State Department also is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of anyone involved in Blackcat ransomware attacks.

The Blackcat group has targeted over 1,000 entities globally since its inception, including networks that support critical United States infrastructure, such as government facilities, health care, emergency services and manufacturing.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation in December disrupted Blackcat's operations through a decryption tool that enabled over 500 victims to restore their computer systems, saving them from ransom demands totaling about $99 million.

The FBI also gained insight into the Blackcat's computer network and seized several websites the group operated.

"Helping victims of crime is the FBI's highest priority and is reflected here in the provision of tools to assist those victimized in decrypting compromised networks and systems," FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said in December.

BlackCat employs a multiple extortion method, according to the FBI. Before encrypting the victim's system, the hacker will steal sensitive data and then seek a ransom in exchange for decrypting the system and not leaking the stolen information.

The reward offer follows the State Department's announcement last week that it is offering $10 million for information that could lead to the identification of leaders of the Hive ransomware crime group.

The Hive ransomware variant has targeted systems in at least 80 countries, including the United States. The FBI located the group's decryption keys in 2022 and made them available worldwide, saving victims over $130 million in combined ransom demands.