US offers $10 million to criminals behind Blackcat ransomware

The US authorities have one https://twitter.com/RFJ_USA/status/1772972321218650290 has offered up to $10 million for information about the criminals behind the Blackcat ransomware, also known as ALPHV. Previously, $10 million was offered for information about the leadership of the ransomware group and $5 million for partners who carry out attacks with the Blackcat ransomware. The ransomware group is held responsible for the attack on Change Healthcare, a company that plays a very important role in American healthcare and processes claims for hospitals, healthcare institutions and pharmacies, among other things.

According to US authorities, the Blackcat group has carried out ransomware attacks worldwide since 2021, compromising vital infrastructure systems and stealing sensitive, confidential information. The American authorities state that more than a thousand organizations have fallen victim to the ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware.

Blackcat uses a ‘ransomware-as-a-service’ (RaaS) model. Through RaaS, criminals can easily obtain ransomware, with part of the revenue going to the developer of the ransomware. In this case, criminals still have to distribute the ransomware themselves. The group is said to have disbanded itself at the beginning of this month via an ‘exit scam’.

According to investigators, Change Healthcare paid a $22 million ransom. A Blackcat partner posted on a forum that they were responsible for the attack on Change Healthcare, but had been scammed by the ransomware group. The group then pretended that its own website had been seized by the FBI. Change Healthcare is still working on the recovery operation. Tips about the ransomware group can be submitted via a website on the Tor network.