US Offers $10 Million Reward for Information on Government-Backed Hackers

The US Department of State has announced that it will pay a reward of up to $10 million for any information that helps American authorities identify and locate hackers “acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government.” The primary focus is on groups targeting critical American infrastructure.

This announcement is a direct response to recent attacks on companies such as JBS Foods (the world’s largest supplier of beef and poultry, and the second-largest pork producer, operating in the US, Australia, Canada, the UK, and serving customers in 190 countries) and the American pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline. These incidents recently disrupted food and fuel supplies in the country, causing minor panic among the American population in certain areas.

Experts have accused Russian hackers of these attacks, but American organizations are also regularly targeted by hackers from China, Iran, and North Korea.

The State Department reports that it is seeking any evidence that such groups are operating with the assistance or under the direction of local authorities. To facilitate information gathering, the government is willing to pay informants in cryptocurrency and has created a special onion site for submitting anonymous tips: he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion.