The US Department of State is offering a reward of up to 10 000 000 $ in exchange for information allowing “ to identify or locate any individual holding a key leadership position in the crime group organized transnational DarkSide ”.
The Department also offers a reward of up to 5 000 000 $ for information leading to the arrest and / or conviction in any country of “ anyone conspiring to participate or attempting to participate in a DarkSide ransomware incident ”.
DarkSide was notably responsible for the cyber attack targeting Colonial Pipeline Company in May 2021, which had led to the undertaking to proactively and temporarily shut down the 5 500 pipeline that carries 45% of the fuel used on the East Coast of United States.
This award is offered as part of the State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards (TOCRP) program, the statement said. More than 75 transnational criminals and drug traffickers have been brought to justice under the TOCRP and the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP) since 1986, who have paid over 135 million dollars in awards to date.
