The Biden administration is also out with a
website, stopransomware.gov, that offers the public resources for countering
the threat and building more resilience into networks, a senior administration
official told reporters.
In another move Thursday, the Treasury
Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will work with banks,
technology companies and others on better anti-money-laundering efforts for
cryptocurrency and more rapid tracing of ransomware proceeds, which are paid in
virtual currency.
Officials are hoping to seize more
extortion payments in ransomware cases, as the FBI did in recouping most of the
$4.4 million ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline in May.
The rewards come from the State
Department's Rewards for Justice program. It will offer a tips-reporting
mechanism on the dark web to protect sources who might identify cyber attackers
and/or their locations, and reward payments may include cryptocurrency, the agency
said in a statement.
The administration official would not
comment on whether the U.S. government had a hand in Tuesday's online
disappearance of REvil, the Russian-linked gang responsible for a July 2 supply
chain ransomware attack that crippled well over 1,000 organizations globally by
targeting Florida-based software provider Kaseya. Ransomware scrambles entire
networks of data, which criminals unlock when they get paid.
Cybersecurity experts say REvil may have
decided to drop out of sight and rebrand under a new name, as it and several
other ransomware gangs have done in the past to try to throw off law
enforcement.
Another possibility is that Russian
President Vladimir Putin actually heeded President Joe Biden's warning of
repercussions if he didn't rein in ransomware criminals, who enjoy safe harbor
in Russia and allied states.
That seemed improbable, however, given
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's statement to reporters Wednesday that he was
unaware of REvil sites disappearing.
"I don't know which group disappeared
where,” he said. He said the Kremlin deems cybercrimes “unacceptable” and
meriting of punishment, but analysts say they have seen no evidence of a
crackdown by Putin.
The White House updated lawmakers Wednesday
on the administration’s response to the recent rash of high-profile ransomware
attacks, a threat it has deemed a national security priority.
Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine,
said he was impressed with the “thoroughness with which they are confronting
this issue,” particularly with outreach to the private sector.