The U.S. authorities on Tuesday introduced a sizeable reward for tips about an enormous 2017 cyberattack that had a world affect.

The U.S. Division of State confirmed the $10 million reward in a press launch, stating that it's searching for info that may result in the placement of six officers with the Principal Intelligence Directorate of the Common Workers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) who carried out the 2017 NotPetya cyberattack. The group glided by many names, together with most notably the Sandworm Group.

The six officers are Yuriy Sergeyevich Andrienko, Sergey Vladimirovich Detistov, Pavel Valeryevich Frolov, Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev, Artem Valeryevich Ochichenko and Petr Nikolayevich Pliskin. The State Division's press launch alleges that they "deployed damaging malware and took different disruptive actions for the strategic advantage of Russia by means of unauthorized entry to sufferer computer systems." The assault impacted cyberinfrastructure on a world scale, starting from the U.S. to Ukraine.

The assault, carried out utilizing a malware program referred to as NotPetya, started in June 27, 2017, and contaminated laptop techniques worldwide with the virus. Within the U.S., the assault notably focused the Heritage Valley Well being System in western Pennsylvania. It additionally hit an unnamed "giant U.S. pharmaceutical producer" and different main establishments within the U.S. non-public sector, finally inflicting over $1 billion in losses.

russian cyberattack 2017 reward
The U.S. Division of State is providing $10 million in rewards for info resulting in apprehension of six Russian officers who carried out a debilitating worldwide cyberattack in 2017. Above, an inventive rendering of hacking.Invoice Hinton/Getty Photographs

In October 2020, a U.S. grand jury moved to indict the six GRU officers on costs pertaining to the assault, together with counts of conspiracy to conduct laptop fraud and abuse, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, damaging protected computer systems and aggravated id theft.

The State Division stated that ideas might be submitted by way of the open-source browser Tor, which permits for nameless communication and entry to the "Darkish Internet." The division supplied a URL for the tip line, which requires the Tor browser for entry.

"Commensurate with the seriousness with which we view these cyber threats, Rewards for Justice has arrange a Darkish Internet (Tor-based) tips-reporting line to guard the protection and safety of potential sources," the Rewards for Justice web page reads. "Doable relocation and rewards funds by cryptocurrency could also be accessible to eligible sources."

Formally referred to as Unit 74455, the six-man GRU group answerable for the assault additionally glided by names like Telebots, Voodoo Bear and Iron Viking, along with the extra well-known Sandworm Group. It was additionally accountable for a 2016 assault that took out parts of Ukraine's energy grid.

The reward for Sandworm Group is being provided as a part of the State Division's Rewards for Justice program. The division claims that this system has paid out over $200 million to over 100 people worldwide since its inception in 1984.

Newsweek reached out to the State Division for remark.