Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
The U.S. Department of State has escalated its efforts to identify the individuals responsible for placing ransomware onto the servers of the nation’s largest pipeline system for refined oil.
In a Thursday press release, the State Department offered $10 million in exchange for information on the identity and location of the leader or leaders of the DarkSide ransomware transnational organized crime group.
The department offered an additional $5 million reward for information that leads to the “arrest and/or conviction in any country of any individual conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in a DarkSide variant ransomware incident.”
“We’re committed to protecting ransomware victims worldwide from exploitation by cyber criminals.” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a tweet.
We're committed to protecting ransomware victims worldwide from exploitation by cyber criminals. @StateDept announced rewards totaling $15M for info leading to identification, arrest, and/or conviction of key leaders of Darkside ransomware or incidents. https://t.co/BBFJNBZeCy
— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) November 4, 2021
Price did not expand on or mention the bounty in his Thursday press briefing.
The DarkSide group was responsible for placing ransomware, a virus that threatens to release private information or permanently block users’ access to their system, on the servers of the Colonial Pipeline Company in May 2021.
This led the company to temporarily shutdown its pipeline, which carries 45 percent of the fuel used on the east coast of the United States, a move that caused panic buying across the eastern seaboard.
“In offering this reward, the United States demonstrates its commitment to protecting ransomware victims around the world from exploitation by cyber criminals,” the release reads. “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 Colonial Pipeline website, which today requires a two-step verification for a visitor to even access the company’s home page, did not contain a comment on the latest development. Similarly, as of this writing, an unverified Twitter account that appears to be the company’s official presence on that platform made no mention of the bounty.
The pipeline spans more than 5,500 miles between Linden, New Jersey and Houston.
This reward was offered under the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program and allows the department to coordinate its efforts with federal law enforcement.
According to the release, more than 75 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers have been arrested under the TOCRP and the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP), which was first enacted in 1986. The Department has paid more than $135 million in rewards to date.
The announcement comes a week after the conclusion of a monthlong cybersecurity workshop hosted by the State Department as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month.