U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward for Info On Alleged Russian Ransomware Hacker

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a series of steps cracking down on a Russian national alleged to have been involved in ransomware attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure and law enforcement organizations, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"Today, the State Department is announcing a reward offer, under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, of up to $10 million, for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Russian national Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev for transnational organized crime," Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"We are taking these actions [against] Matveev for his role in ransomware incidents targeting U.S. law enforcement, businesses, and critical infrastructure around the world," he said.

In two indictments unsealed Tuesday, the Justice Department alleged that Matveev was involved in the creation of 3 major ransomware variants — LockBit, Hive and Babuk — which have been allegedly used by him and other hackers to attack thousands of victims globally since 2020.

The Treasury Department also imposed financial sanctions on Matveev.

Alex Raufoglu