In 2020, ransomware enabled cybercriminals to extort more than $ 350 million from governments and businesses targeted by these attacks, according to the US State Department.

Huge losses for the victims who found themselves totally destabilized after paying their ransom.

The rise in the number of ransomware attacks targeting US infrastructure and businesses has prompted Joe Biden's government to take action.

Each week, several American agencies active in the fight against cyberattacks will indeed make recommendations to the American president, in order to take defensive and offensive measures against particularly active and dangerous hacker groups who work for foreign governments.

A logic that could turn out to be pernicious

At the same time, the Biden administration decided to set up a bonus system, in order to encourage hackers to share useful information concerning the plans and the identity of their colleagues.

Depending on the information given, the bonus offered could go up to 10 million dollars (8.4 million euros).

The prime purpose of this bounty system is to counter attacks targeting US businesses, hospitals, schools and local governments that have been sponsored by foreign governments. The United States has recently been the target of several cyber attacks orchestrated by hackers working for foreign governments.

If the plan of the American government seems rather good, at the same time simple and logical, the observers fear that the system of bounties leads to perverse effects.

We can indeed expect that unfounded denunciations will be made, thus complicating the work of agencies fighting against cyberattacks.

Others are also worried that the criminals themselves will use this program to denounce each other, in order to get rid of their competitors, thus creating a war between hackers.

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  • Joe biden

  • United States

  • Cybersecurity

  • Cyber ​​attack

  • Cybercriminality

  • High-Tech