U.S. Offers $10M Bounty for Russian Hacker Identification

The United States Department of State has announced a reward of up to $10 million under the Rewards for Justice Program for information that leads to the identification or location of individuals associated with hacker groups UNC5792 and UNC4221, which are reportedly linked to Russian intelligence and military networks. UNC5792 is connected to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Border Guards, while UNC4221 works on behalf of the Russian military services.

These groups have conducted phishing campaigns targeting Signal and WhatsApp accounts of U.S. government officials, military leadership, and allied personnel. The reward covers information on the individuals involved, their connections to Russian intelligence, operational infrastructure, funding channels, and cryptocurrency activities.

U.S. authorities have updated their advisory regarding tactics used by these groups, including impersonating Signal support representatives to steal data recovery keys, compromising thousands of accounts. They emphasized that the platforms' encryption systems remain secure despite these social engineering tactics.