FBI searching for three FSB officers, offers reward of up to $10M
The FBI has released a public service announcement warning that Russian FSB actors are targeting end-of-life networking devices across critical infrastructure sectors in the United States. The intelligence agency is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or whereabouts of these attackers.
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The FBI has released a public service announcement warning that Russian FSB actors are targeting end-of-life networking devices across critical infrastructure sectors in the United States. The intelligence agency is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or whereabouts of these attackers.
According to the FBI, three Russian men have attacked more than 500 energy companies in 135 countries. These attacks have been attributed to the Russian Federal Security Service’s (FSB) Center 16.
The suspects are believed to be part of a group called “Dragonfly,” also known as “Berserk Bear.”
“For over a decade, this unit has compromised networking devices globally, particularly devices accepting legacy unencrypted protocols like Cisco Smart Install (SMI) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) versions 1 and 2. This unit has also deployed custom tools to certain Cisco devices, such as the malware publicly identified as ‘SYNful Knock’ in 2015,” the FBI said in a public service announcement.
In addition, the FBI states that in the past year, the attackers have collected the configuration files of thousands of network devices belonging to US entities in critical infrastructure sectors. These files were modified for some organizations to maintain unauthorized access.
These FSB officers targeted U.S. critical infrastructure.
undefined Rewards for Justice (@RFJ_USA) September 2, 2025
Got information on them? Send us a tip. https://t.co/tSLfrnLaJk pic.twitter.com/9B6R5YoN77
In a post on X, the US Department of State shares a wanted poster, promising a reward of up to $10 million “for information on the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, participates in malicious cyber activities against US critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.”
Besides stating that the suspects attacked more than 500 energy companies in 135 countries and work for the FSB, neither the US Department of State nor the FBI provides any further information.
Anyone with more information can contact the Department of State’s Rewards for Justice via Tor.
Back in 2022, US authorities also offered a reward for the alleged FSB officers. At the time, it was claimed that the suspects had installed malware on more than 17,000 unique devices globally.