Reward Offers for Information to Bring Conti Ransomware Variant Co-Conspirators to Justice

 

This is an interesting piece of news.  The US Department of State has decided to dial up the pressure on the Conti ransomware gang.  This group has been pretty prolific and in addition to making tons of money in ransom, they have also wrought havoc on a number of U.S. businesses and industries in general.  If you have any interest, just type "Conti" into Google and see the number of hits...

What follows is the Press Statement from the U.S. Department State:

The Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10,000,000 for information leading to the identification and/or location of any individual(s) who hold a key leadership position in the Conti ransomware variant transnational organized crime group.  In addition, the Department is also offering a reward of up to $5,000,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of any individual in any country conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in a Conti variant ransomware incident.

The Conti ransomware group has been responsible for hundreds of ransomware incidents over the past two years.  The FBI estimates that as of January 2022, there had been over 1,000 victims of attacks associated with Conti ransomware with victim payouts exceeding $150,000,000, making the Conti Ransomware variant the costliest strain of ransomware ever documented.  In April 2022, the group perpetrated a ransomware incident against the Government of Costa Rica that severely impacted the country’s foreign trade by disrupting its customs and taxes platforms.  In offering this reward, the United States demonstrates its commitment to protecting potential ransomware victims around the world from exploitation by cyber criminals.  We look to partner with nations willing to bring justice for those victims affected by ransomware.

This reward is offered under the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP).

The Department manages the TOCRP in close coordination with our federal law enforcement partners as part of a whole of government effort to disrupt and dismantle transnational organized crime globally, including cybercrime.  More than 75 transnational 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 under these programs to date.

For more information on the group listed above and the TOCRP, please see Department of State INL Transnational Organized Crime Rewards.