Hunting Six Russian Intelligence Officers, United States Offers IDR 144 Billion In Rewards

Spy illustration. (Unsplash/Tetiana SHYSHKINA)

JAKARTA - The United States on Tuesday offered a reward of up to $10 million for information on six people described as Russian military intelligence officers in connection with a cyber attack that affected critical US infrastructure.

The six officers, who worked in the cyber-focused unit of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), were involved in a 2017 global malware attack that infected the computers of several US private entities, including hospital systems, the US State Department said.

The 2017 "NotPetya" cyber attack paralyzed parts of Ukraine's infrastructure and damaged computers in countries around the world including France, Germany, Italy and the United States, causing billions of dollars in losses.

A US Federal Grand jury in 2020 indicted six officers of the Sandworm unit on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and computer abuse, among other charges, the State Department said.

Prizes of up to $10 million will be awarded for information leading to "the identification or location of any person who, while acting on the direction of or under the control of a foreign government, participates in malicious cyber activity against critical US infrastructure."

Meanwhile, Russia itself denied involvement in the cyberattack incident. There was no immediate comment from Russia on this matter.