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The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of state-sponsored hackers linked to the RedLine infostealer malware and its alleged creator, Russian national Maxim Alexandrovich Rudometov.
This bounty is part of the Rewards for Justice program, which was established under the 1984 Act to Combat International Terrorism. The initiative offers rewards to individuals who provide valuable information that helps identify or locate foreign government threat actors involved in cyberattacks against U.S. entities, especially those targeting critical infrastructure.
The Department is specifically seeking tips about foreign government-linked individuals associated with Rudometov, their involvement in cyberattacks, or any state-sponsored use of RedLine malware. Information can be submitted via the program’s Tor-based reporting channel.
To date, the Rewards for Justice program has paid out more than $250 million to over 125 individuals whose tips have contributed to U.S. national security.
Maxim Alexandrovich Rudometov, believed to be the developer and operator behind RedLine, was indicted in the U.S. in October as part of Operation Magnus, an international law enforcement effort. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Rudometov maintained the malware’s infrastructure, managed cryptocurrency accounts used to receive and launder payments, and possessed copies of RedLine malware.
In coordination with international partners, Dutch authorities disrupted both the RedLine and META malware-as-a-service (MaaS) platforms, which had facilitated the theft of millions of account credentials. Law enforcement also shut down the groups’ sales operations by seizing Telegram accounts used to promote the malware.
Authorities further announced the arrest of two suspects in Belgium, along with the seizure of three servers and two web domains used for command and control operations.
It remains unclear whether Rudometov himself has been apprehended. If convicted, he could face up to 35 years in prison on charges including access device fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, and money laundering.
