Adrian Johnson
In a recent announcement, the United States State Department has offered a $10 million reward for any valuable information leading to the detection or whereabouts of the principal members of the Hive ransomware gang. The department has also announced a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the suspected cybercriminals. The FBI collaborated with international law enforcement over a year ago to conduct a covert surveillance operation that resulted in the seizure of the gang’s servers and websites. The FBI was able to infiltrate Hive’s computer systems and prevent victims from making ransom payments totaling $130 million. However, despite the efforts of the U.S. government, cybercriminals have managed to extort $1.1 billion in ransom payments from their victims. Hive ransomware, which has been operational since June 2021, offers a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) called “Hive” and employs a double-extortion tactic by stealing sensitive data and threatening to publish it on HiveLeaks. Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics firm, has ranked Hive among the top 10 most lucrative ransomware operations in terms of revenue generated in 2021. The State Department’s announcement complements the Department of Justice’s seizure of Hive’s servers and websites, disrupting their ability to attack and extort further victims.
– The United States State Department is offering a $10 million reward for information on the Hive ransomware gang.
– The FBI collaborated with international law enforcement to seize the gang’s servers and websites, preventing victims from paying $130 million in ransoms.
– Hive ransomware has targeted over 1,500 organizations across 80 countries and stolen over $100 million in funds.
