The U.S. Department of State is upping the ante in its fight against ransomware by offering a reward of up to $10 million for information that helps identify or track down leaders of the notorious DarkSide ransomware group.
The State Department said it’s also offering as much as $5 million for information that leads to the arrest or conviction of anyone ”conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in a DarkSide variant ransomware incident.” This is likely a nod to the group’s affiliate program, in which members receive a custom variant of the DarkSide ransomware and receive a chunk of any ransom payment profits.
“In offering this reward, the United States demonstrates its commitment to protecting ransomware victims around th …
