US Department of State pays fees in the form of cryptocurrency for any information about cybercriminals
The Rewards for Justice program developed by the US Department of State is gaining momentum, and any information about cybercriminals will be paid for in the form of BTC.
According to a published statement by the US Department of State, for information that will lead to persons involved in cybercrime against US domestic policy, the department will pay a fee of no more than $10 million.
“The information that entailed operational information about cybercriminals will be paid in the form of cryptocurrency,” the US State Department commented on the statement.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the US Department of State, confirmed that “as part of the Rewards for Justice program since 1984, this is the first time that a reward for information will be paid in the form of cryptocurrency.”
“As part of the developed program Rewards for Justice, an information channel was created for transmitting data through an anonymous TOR browser – thus potential sources of information will remain anonymous and will be safe,” the US Department of State explained in a statement.
What made the US government resort to such measures?
This method of struggle followed the statement “ON THE CREATION OF A GROUP TO COMBAT” EXTORTION VIRUSES. Hackers spreading their ransomware viruses targeted the attention of the target group after another attack on Colonial Pipeline – one of the largest fuel supply systems in the United States. The company was forced to pay fraudsters $5 million in cryptocurrency. The US Department of Justice returned to Colonial Pipeline a smaller portion of BTC’s payments to fraudsters. Also, the US Congress raised the matter to its control.
To date, it is not clear what rules the new group will use. Members of the anti-virus group stated in an April report that strict compliance with the rules of the AML and KYC law in different countries – is the most effective tool to eliminate digs for ransomware.
In early July 2021, another attack by REvil hackers stopped the work of more than 200 American companies. To decrypt encrypted data, it was necessary to pay an amount exceeding $70 million in BTC. Follow all the news from the crypto industry with us. We publish only high-quality and interesting material. We wish you good luck and calm work!
