The US State Department has announced a reward of up to$10 million for detecting and locating the ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware gang leaders and an additional$5 million for tips on individuals trying to take part in ALPHV ransomware attacks, likely to discourage affiliates and initial access brokers.

The State Department has set up a dedicated Tor SecureDrop server which can be used for submitting tips on this and other wanted threat actors. The bounty is being provided under the US Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), and the US government has paid 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 submit tips on ALPHV and other wanted threat actors.

Why does it matter?

According to the FBI, the ALPHV ransomware has been linked to over 60 breaches between November 2021 and March 2022 and is estimated to have collected ransom payments of around$300 million from more than 1,000 victims till September 2023.

Last week, the State Department offered the same reward for information on the Hive ransomware group. Also last week, the White House's top cyber official, Anne Neuberger, expressed concern that these actions have not significantly raised the costs for potential attackers.