US Offers $10M Reward For ID, Location of DarkSide Leadership

The US Department of State has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of anyone holding a key leadership position in the DarkSide ransomware group.

It’s not only after the leaders: The State Department is also offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction in any country, of any person “conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in a DarkSide variant ransomware incident,” officials wrote in a release.

US government officials believe DarkSide was behind the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline in May 2021 that led the company to temporarily shut down some 5,500 miles of pipeline carrying 45% of fuel used on the East Coast.

This reward is offered under the State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), which aims to disrupt transnational organized crime. TOCRP has paid more than $135 million in rewards to date, and officials say more than 75 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers have been brought to justice under the TOCRP and Narcotics Rewards Program since 1986.

Read the full announcement for more details.