US Offers $10 Million Reward for Information on Russian State-Sponsored Hackers

The US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of members of two Russian hacker groups believed to operate under state sponsorship. This announcement comes amid an ongoing FBI investigation into a large-scale phishing campaign targeting users of Signal and WhatsApp, particularly individuals holding sensitive positions.

According to reports, the FBI began investigating in March after attacks targeted current and former US government officials, military personnel, political figures, and journalists. The attackers aimed to take over victims' messaging accounts by sending fake messages that appeared as official support, prompting users to click links, enter verification codes, or provide access codes. Successful phishing allowed hackers to link their devices to the accounts or fully seize control, locking out the original users.

The attackers also attempted to bypass Signal's security features by instructing victims to back up their accounts and send recovery keys, granting access to message histories. The FBI attributes these activities to two groups known as UNC5792 and UNC4221. US sources link UNC5792 to the Russian Federal Security Service's Border Guard and UNC4221 to Russian military intelligence.

The reward is offered through the State Department's Rewards for Justice program, which encourages the public to provide information that could help identify or locate individuals involved in activities threatening US security.