A major U.S. fuel pipeline company suffered a cyber attack and had to shut down its entire pipeline delivery system.
Colonial Pipeline, a major U.S. fuel pipeline operator, has been hit by a cyber attack and had to shut down its entire fuel pipeline delivery system to contain the spread of the threat, Reuters said, adding that nearly half of the fuel on the U.S. East Coast is delivered through the company’s pipelines.
Colonial Pipeline said in a statement that it shut down its entire system on Friday after learning of the cyberattack, temporarily disrupting network operations and affecting some of its computer technology systems. The company also said the attack was the result of ransomware (ransomware).
Reuters said Colonial Pipeline’s 8,850-kilometer pipeline connects refineries in the Gulf Coast region to the eastern and southern parts of the United States, carrying 2.5 million barrels a day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined oil products.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told Reuters that it is working with other government agencies to investigate the situation.
A former U.S. government official and two industry sources told Reuters that the hackers who launched the attack were likely a highly specialized cybercrime group. Investigators are learning whether a cyber group dubbed DarkSide by the cybersecurity research community carried out the attack.
Reuters said the DarkSide cyber group is known for deploying ransomware while selectively avoiding attacks on independent countries that emerged after the breakup of the former Soviet Union.
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