US Government To Offer Dark Web Informants Bounties In Crypto

The U.S. State Department is offering dark web informants cryptocurrency bounties in exchange for information on hackers seen as threats to the country.

The State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program offers up to $10 million for the “identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, participates in malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure.”

The program addresses several other key national security issues beyond ransomware, including terrorism financing, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and North Korea.

The “malicious cyber activities” mentioned above are defined specifically as ransomware, intentional unauthorized access to a protected computer, and intentionally causing damage to a protected computer.

A State Department official stated:

“Within our program there’s a tremendous amount of enthusiasm because we’re really pushing the envelope every chance we get to try and reach audiences, sources, people who may have information that helps improve our national security.”

The RJF program has paid out rewards via money transfers or even by delivering suitcases full of cash. The State Department is now open to paying informants with cryptocurrencies.

The RJF program is pivoting its payment mechanisms to include cryptocurrency payments.

The Biden administration is also acutely aware of the role cryptocurrencies can play in ransomware—one of the government’s most prioritized national security risks.

Last month, the U.S. government established a new task force whose focus was on tracing cryptocurrency payments made in cyberattacks.

The Department of Justice elevated ransomware to a priority level similar to terrorism.

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