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The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program lists a reward of up to $10 million connected to “Maxim Alexandrovich Rudometov & RedLine.” It is a conditional offer, not a guaranteed payment: the listing says information must help identify or locate someone involved in specified cyberattacks on U.S. critical infrastructure while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government.
What the RedLine malware reward covers
The live Rewards for Justice listing states that information may qualify if it leads to the identification or location of a person who, acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, participates in specified malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The listing names Maxim Alexandrovich Rudometov and RedLine.
The award is “up to” $10 million, so the figure is a ceiling, not a promise that every qualifying tip will earn that amount. The listing does not establish that a reward has been paid. It also does not separately explain how the named individual and RedLine map to each element of the broader eligibility condition; avoid treating the headline shorthand as a simple standalone bounty for the malware’s developer.
What happened in the RedLine case
On October 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the United States had joined an international operation against the RedLine and META infostealers, called Operation Magnus, and that a criminal complaint charging Rudometov had been unsealed. DOJ reported charges of access-device fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, and money laundering.
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Those charges are allegations, not findings of guilt. DOJ said: “The complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” The criminal complaint and its supporting affidavit describe investigators’ probable-cause allegations; they are not a verdict.
Why RedLine infostealer malware is dangerous
An infostealer is malware that collects sensitive information from infected devices. DOJ says RedLine and META could steal usernames, passwords, financial and system information, browser cookies, and cryptocurrency account information. RedLine logs could also include browser autofill fields, according to the supporting affidavit.
Stolen cookies can help attackers get around MFA
Passwords are not the only valuable data. DOJ says stolen authentication cookies and other system information can let criminals bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA). A stolen session cookie may allow access to an account without the attacker having to repeat the usual login and verification steps.
How the malware was distributed
DOJ described RedLine and META as malware-as-a-service: affiliates could buy a license and run their own infection campaigns. Reported distribution methods included malvertising, phishing emails, fraudulent software downloads, and malicious software sideloading. The stolen logs could be sold or used for further fraud and intrusions.
What Operation Magnus disrupted—and what the numbers mean
DOJ said the operation seized domains, servers, and Telegram accounts used by RedLine and META administrators. Europol supported the operation, which involved U.S. agencies and partners including the Dutch National Police, Belgian Federal Police and Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the United Kingdom National Crime Agency, Australian Federal Police, Portuguese Federal Police, and Eurojust.
DOJ reported that the malware had infected millions of computers worldwide. Investigators had also identified millions of unique credentials and other data items in collected victim logs. Those figures were not finalized: DOJ said the exact total was still undetermined and that the United States did not believe it had all the stolen data. The reported totals should therefore be understood as investigative counts at the time of the October 29, 2024 announcement, not a complete tally of all victims or stolen information.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the reward and criminal complaint do—and do not—mean
- The RFJ offer is conditional: it concerns information meeting the critical-infrastructure, foreign-government direction or control, and CFAA criteria on the listing.
- The reward ceiling is not a payment record: “up to $10 million” does not mean the full amount has been awarded.
- The complaint is not a conviction: the charges against Rudometov remain allegations unless proven in court.
- The disruption is not a claim that every infection or stolen record was recovered: DOJ said investigators did not believe they possessed all the stolen data.
Sources: U.S. Department of State, Rewards for Justice listing; U.S. Department of Justice announcement, October 29, 2024; 2022 criminal complaint and supporting affidavit, reproduced by DOJ.
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