By Scott Shackelford, Megan Wade
May 27, 2021
It took little over two hours for hackers to gain control of more than 100 gigabytes of information from Colonial Pipeline on May 7, 2021 causing the firm to shut down its fuel distribution network and sparking widespread fears of a gasoline shortage. The decision to pay off the attackers was also made with apparent speed, but the ethical arguments involved are age old and the implications could reverberate well into the future.
Cyberattacks, including those on critical infrastructure in the U.S., are nothing new. Ransomware, a type of malicious software that locks access to a computer until a ransom is paid, has been a component of the cyberthreat landscape since the mid-2000s. But the Colonial Pipeline breach raised the stakes and highlighted the ability of ransomware to interrupt the vital services on which Americans rely.
It took little over two hours for hackers to gain control of more than 100 gigabytes of information from Colonial Pipeline on May 7, 2021 – causing the firm to shut down its fuel distribution network and sparking widespread fears of a gasoline shortage. The decision to pay off the attackers was also made with apparent speed, but the ethical arguments involved are age old and the implications could reverberate well into the future.
Cyberattacks, including those on critical infrastructure in the U.S., are nothing new. Ransomware, a type of malicious software that locks access to a computer until a ransom is paid, has been a component of the cyberthreat landscape since the mid-2000s. But the Colonial Pipeline breach raised the stakes and highlighted the ability of ransomware to interrupt the vital services on which Americans rely.
Colonial Pipeline restarts operations after ransomware attack, gas shortage fears As we initiate our return to service, our primary focus remains safety.
Posted: May 12, 2021 4:28 PM
Posted By: Josh Rayburn
Colonial Pipleline, which said Saturday it had been victimized by a ransomware attack and had halted all pipeline operations to deal with the threat, announced late Wednesday that it has restarted operations to get fuel delivered to the East Coast.
Here s the full statement:
Colonial Pipeline initiated the restart of pipeline operations today at approximately 5 p.m. ET.
Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal. Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period. Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal.