Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
CybersecurityManagementSecurity NewswireCybersecurity News

US offers reward of up to $10 million for information on DarkSide

By Maria Henriquez
justice-security-freepik3959.jpg
November 5, 2021

The U.S. Department of State is offering up to $10,000,000 for information leading to identifying or locating any individual(s) who hold a key leadership position in the DarkSide ransomware crime group. The Department is also offering a reward of up to $5,000,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction in any country of any individual conspiring or attempting to participate in a DarkSide attack.


The reward is being offered under the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), which is managed in close coordination with federal law enforcement partners as part of a whole government effort to disrupt and dismantle transnational organized crime globally. According to the Department, more than 75 international criminals and major narcotics traffickers have been brought to justice under the TOCRP and the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP) since 1986. The Department has paid more than $135 million in rewards to date.


The DarkSide ransomware group, which operates as a ransomware-as-a-service, was behind the May 2021 Colonial Pipeline Company ransomware incident, which led to the company’s decision to proactively and temporarily shut down the 5,500-mile pipeline that carries 45% of the fuel used on the East Coast of the United States.


The group is also responsible for the theft of more than 100 GB of corporate data. On May 12, the group announced three more victims — a construction company based in Scotland, a renewable energy product reseller in Brazil, and a technology services reseller in the U.S. The threat actors claimed to have stolen a total of 1.9 GB of data from these companies, including sensitive information such as client data, financial data, employee passports, and contracts.  


With the rewards, the U.S. government hopes to protect ransomware victims worldwide from exploitation by cybercriminals. “The United States looks to nations who harbor ransomware criminals that are willing to bring justice for those victim businesses and organizations affected by ransomware,” the State Department said.

This announcement is extremely noteworthy, says Sean Nikkel, Senior Cyber Threat Intel Analyst at Digital Shadows, a San Francisco-based digital risk protection solutions provider.


“While there was a similar announcement in July 2021 from the State Department for a $10M reward in the fight against nation-state activity, this is the first to target an actor explicitly. For reference, the reward for information leading to the capture of Osama bin Laden was $25M, so it does illustrate how important this information might be, especially since the incentive is enough that it potentially turns friends into foes,” Nikkel says. “It will be interesting to see if further bounties are offered for other notorious ransomware actors or not, based on the success (or failure) of this initiative. This all comes on the heels of continuing moves by the Biden administration to bolster its fight against ransomware, especially when considered with recent sanctions, the creation of task forces and new agencies, and other recent talking points.”


With rewards this large, there’s a substantial incentive for these criminals to turn on one another, says Jake Williams, Co-Founder and CTO at BreachQuest, an Augusta, Georgia-based leader in incident response. “Perhaps more importantly than the specific impacts to DarkSide, this action undermines trust across the ransomware as a service affiliate model. This is especially good timing since it capitalizes on the recent REvil infiltration by law enforcement. The law enforcement action against REvil in July already caused significant trust issues among operators. This drives that wedge deeper and will extend far beyond DarkSide (rebranded to BlackMatter and supposedly shut down this week).” 


For more information on the ransomware variant listed above and the TOCRP and NRP, please see the Department of State INL AntiCrime Rewards Program.

KEYWORDS: cyber security federal security ransomware risk management

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Maria Henriquez is a former Associate Editor of Security. She covered topics including cybersecurity and physical security, risk management and more.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    Logical Security
    By: Charles Denyer
Subscribe For Free!
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

  • Duty of Care
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Integrating Technology and Physical Security to Advance Duty of Care

Popular Stories

Internal computer parts

Critical Software Vulnerabilities Rose 37% in 2024

Coding

AI Emerges as the Top Concern for Security Leaders

Person working on laptop

Governance in the Age of Citizen Developers and AI

Half open laptop

“Luigi Was Right”: A Look at the Website Sharing Data on More Than 1,000 Executives

patient at healthcare reception desk

Almost Half of Healthcare Breaches Involved Microsoft 365

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

June 24, 2025

Inside a Modern GSOC: How Anthropic Benchmarks Risk Detection Tools for Speed and Accuracy

For today's security teams, making informed decisions in the first moments of a crisis is critical.

August 27, 2025

Risk Mitigation as a Competitive Edge

In today’s volatile environment, a robust risk management strategy isn’t just a requirement—it’s a foundation for organizational resilience. From cyber threats to climate disruptions, the ability to anticipate, withstand, and adapt to disruption is becoming a hallmark of industry leaders.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • election

    State Department offers up to $10 million for info on foreign election hackers

    See More
  • Voting2

    Rewards for Justice offers $10 million for information on foreign interference in U.S. elections

    See More
  • Computer screen with coding in colored text

    The Department of State offers $10M for information on ALPHV/Blackcat

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • databasehacker

    The Database Hacker's Handboo

See More Products
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing