The US State Department will pay $10 million for information identifying “key leaders” of the group behind the Conti ransomware virus. Authorities will also pay $5 million for information leading to the arrest of people linked to the hackers.

The Conti ransomware group has received over $150 million in ransoms, targeting more than a thousand organizations. Today @StateDept Conti offers rewards for knowledge about leadership and its affiliates. https://t.co/0RFkLKgK3U

– Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) May 6, 2022

According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, Conti operators are responsible for “hundreds of incidents” involving ransomware.

“The FBI estimates that by January 2022 there were more than 1,000 victims of Conti-related attacks. “Victim payments exceeded $150 million, making Conti the most successful ransomware ever recorded,” Price said.

He added that in April 2022, the Costa Rican government was subjected to a cyber-attack using Conti – disrupting the functioning of customs and tax services.

Recall that in January 2022, the Taiwanese company Delta Electronics, the contractor of Apple and Tesla, was attacked by hackers using a ransomware virus. The media reported that the responsibility may lie with the Conti operators.