Feds Offer $10M Reward for Info on Change Healthcare Cyberattacker

March 28, 2024

The U.S. Department of State announced a reward of up to $10 million for information about the ransomware group linked to the Change Healthcare cyberattack last month.

This week, the U.S. Department of State announced the offering through its Reward for Justice Program, which provides compensation for “information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, engages in certain malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure.”

Among the key details from the Department of State:

• About:  The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware-as-a-service group has been linked to several attacks on computer networks of critical infrastructure sectors in the U.S. and worldwide.
• The threat:  The group reportedly deploys ransomware on targeted systems, “disabling security features within the victim’s network, stealing sensitive confidential information, demanding payment to restore access, and threatening to publicize the stolen data if victims do not pay a ransom.”
• Timeline:  The group’s ransomware was first deployed during November 2021.
• Advisory:  During February, the federal government issued an update to its advisory on the group, which included steps to mitigate the threat of ransomware.
• Quotable:  “Since mid-December 2023, of the nearly 70 leaked victims, the health care sector has been the most commonly victimized. This is likely in response to the ALPHV Blackcat administrator’s post encouraging its affiliates to target hospitals after operational action against the group and its infrastructure in early December 2023,” the advisory noted.

Additional information about the reward offer is available on the Department of State website. The announcement comes as UnitedHealth Group continues to bring affected services back online in phases.

HAP continues to monitor the latest Change Healthcare cybersecurity news and advocate on behalf of our members. Earlier this month, HAP created a one-stop shop to offer the latest resources online, including exclusive member-only information (login required).