U.S. Government Offers Bitcoin REWARDS For Information On Cyberattacks

Remind you of crime stoppers?

According to reports, The U.S. Government is willing to hand out Bitcoin rewards for information leading to the prevention of cyber attacks and the arrest of cyber criminals.

Hopefully, this will stem the growing problem of critical infrastructure being attacked and taken offline.

Colonial Pipeline was the most recent high profile cyber attack within The U.S. Colonial ended up paying a $5 million ransom, although the money was lost en route and the Dark Side hacking group never received their funds.

Up to $10 million will reportedly be offered for information and tips that lead to higher profile arrests, and the foiling of more serious plots against The United States.

Take a look:

The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $10 million “for information on foreign malicious cyber activity against U.S. critical infrastructure.” https://t.co/dUfPfstz9T

— Bitcoin News (@BTCTN) July 16, 2021

Hacking is a fairly low risk, high reward crime. The pipeline attack yielded $5M in Bitcoin. If the US doesn't respond with its full vindictive might to such cyber attacks on the infrastructure, this will remain a huge threat.

— Captain Obvious (@MondeBoeuf) May 13, 2021

Coin Telegraph summed up this latest development:

The State Department recently announced its Rewards for Justice program would be offering bounties of up to $10 million for assistance in identifying actors responsible for cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the United States.

The government agency said it had set up a tip line through the Tor browser network — developed by U.S. officials for anonymous internet communications — and may offer crypto payments for relevant information on ransomware attacks.

Last month, U.S. officials as part of a government task force seized more than $2 million in crypto used to pay for ransom following an attack on the Colonial Pipeline system.

Trust Nodes had more details:

“Commensurate with the seriousness with which we view these cyber threats, the Rewards for Justice program has set up a Dark Web (Tor-based) tips-reporting channel to protect the safety and security of potential sources,” the US Department of state said, adding:

“The Reward For Justice program also is working with interagency partners to enable the rapid processing of information as well as the possible relocation of and payment of rewards to sources. Reward payments may include payments in cryptocurrency.”

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