US Unmasks Alleged Conti Ransomware Operative, Offers $10M for Intel
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US unmasks alleged Conti ransomware operative, offers $10M for intel - TechCrunch:
The U.S. government said it will offer up to $10 million for information related to five people believed to be high-ranking members of the notorious Russia-backed Conti ransomware gang.
The reward is offered as part of the U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which on Thursday shared an image of a known Conti ransomware operator known as "Target," marking the first time the U.S. government has publicly identified a Conti operative. The program, which specifically seeks information on national security threats, is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the identification and location of Target, along with four other alleged Conti members known as "Tramp," "Dandis," "Professor," and "Reshaev."
[...] The gang rebranded from Ryuk to Conti in 2020, and later sided with Russia in its war against Ukraine, pledging to respond to any cyber attacks on the Russian government or the country's critical infrastructure. But this backfired when a disgruntled Conti member leaked over 170,000 internal chat conversations between other Conti members and the source code for the ransomware itself.
This breach led to the eventual shutdown of the Conti ransomware brand in June this year, though it's believed members of the gang have quietly moved into other ransomware operations including Hive, AvosLocker, BlackCat, and Hello Kitty.
The RFJ's bounty program was initially launched to gather information on national security threats and terrorists targeting U.S. interests and has expanded to offer rewards for information on cyber criminals. It's also offering bounties for information on the Russia-backed REvil and Evil Corp hacking groups.
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