The State Department on Thursday announced a $10 million reward for information related to five specific individuals associated with the Conti ransomware group.
The Russian-based cybercriminal group has wreaked havoc around the world. As of January 2022, there were more than 1,000 victims of attacks associated with Conti ransomware and payouts exceeding $150 million, according to the FBI.
The agency is seeking information on Conti associates known as “Tramp,” “Dandis,” “Professor,” “Reshaev” and “Target,” the agency said Thursday and first reported by Wired. A previous reward offer, announced May 6, promised $10 million for information leading to the identification and/or location of people who held “a key leadership position” within Conti. An additional $5 million reward was available to anybody who could provide information leading to the arrest and or conviction of anybody in any country conspiring to take part in a Conti variant ransomware attack.
Photo of “Target” included in the Aug. 11 reward offer. (Courtesy U.S. State Department)
It’s unclear where the information about these particular individuals came from a tip or from somewhere else.
Agency officials made the announcement at Black Hat, the annual cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas that brings together cybersecurity experts and policy makers from around the world. The State Department had a booth at the event advertising the rewards — with T-shirts, posters, casino chips with QR codes — which are administered through its state department offers million details conti ransomware members
