The US has announced a $10 million reward for information about the developer of RedLine Malware, a Ukrainian operating from Russia

The US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information that will help identify or locate individuals involved in cyberattacks on critical US infrastructure — the focus is on the developer of the RedLine malware, Maksym Rudomyotov from Luhansk region.

RedLine is one of the largest info stealers in the world, stealing credentials, financial information, cookies, crypto wallets and other sensitive information from infected devices. Everything stolen — the so-called “logs” — is then sold on darknet forums.

The developer — 26-year-old Maksym Aleksandrovich Rudomyotov, known under the pseudonyms “dendimirror”, “ghackihg”, “bloodzz.fenix”, etc., fled to Krasnodar, Russia, since the start of the full-scale war. According to US data, he still controls the RedLine infrastructure, accepts payments in cryptocurrency and serves customers through the Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) model.

RedLine licenses cybercriminals to launch their own attacks, which has enabled it to infect millions of systems around the world. Its popularity is a result of its decentralized system and its accessibility to a wide range of attackers.

The Rewards for Justice program, operated under the auspices of the US Department of State, aims to neutralize cyber threats that are sponsored by foreign governments or that harm US national infrastructure. Using an anonymous Tor channel, informants can transmit data without risk of detection.

The $10 million reward demonstrates the criticality of the threat that RedLine poses to the US. This step demonstrates a new level of international responsibility in cyberspace – the US government seeks not only to neutralize malicious software, but also to hold its creators accountable, even if they operate from the territory of an enemy’s allies.