US offers $10M bounty to hunt down Colonial Pipeline hackers

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - The US State Department on Thursday announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the location or identification of any senior figure in DarkSide, a hackers’ group which targeted a major American oil pipeline earlier this year.

Additionally, the department is also offering up to $5 million for "information leading to the arrest and/or conviction in any country of any individual conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in a DarkSide variant ransomware incident," it said in a statement.

"In offering this reward, the United States demonstrates its commitment to protecting ransomware victims around the world from exploitation by cyber criminals," it added.

​​​​​​​The hack, carried out by the team of cybercriminals known as DarkSide, forced Colonial Pipeline to halt its operations on May 7, leading to widespread shortages on the East Coast as many consumers turned to hoarding.

The pipeline carries 45% of the fuel used on the East Coast of the US.