The Department of State is offering as much as $10,000,000 for information that may point to the location or identity of key leaders within the Hive ransomware group. An additional reward of up to $5,000,000 is also offered for anyone who provides information leading to the apprehension or conviction of any individual involved in Hive ransomware operations.
The Hive ransomware group is an international organized crime syndicate that has targeted individuals in more than 80 countries, the United States included. In July 2022, the FBI accessed Hive’s computer networks and secured the organization’s decryption keys. These decryption keys were globally revealed to avert ransom payments totaling as much as $130 million.
This announcement follows the recent collaboration between the Department of Justice, Europol, the U.S. Secret Service and German and Dutch authorities to take Hive’s servers and websites. The goal of the offered reward is to support the actions of law enforcement to combat international crime and apprehend those responsible.