Published: Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Aerial view of Colonial Pipeline fuel tanks. Photo credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Fuel holding tanks are seen at Colonial Pipeline Co. s Dorsey Junction Station in Woodbine, Md. The company has shed light on some of its cybersecurity practices leading up to a hack of its systems this month that disrupted eastern U.S. gasoline supplies. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The pipeline company at the center of the most disruptive cyberattack in U.S. energy history says it followed defensive guidelines set by the government and private sector.
But a ransomware cyberattack this month still forced Colonial Pipeline Co. to shut down its 5,500-mile system, which supplies nearly half the fuel used along the U.S. East Coast. The weeklong disruption led to panic buying at gas stations and an outcry for more stringent and enforceable cybersecurity measures for the oil and gas industry.
Pipeline Hack Points to Growing Cybersecurity Risk for Energy System
Energy infrastructure has increasingly come under assault, and analysts said the attack that cut off fuel supplies this week should be a “wake-up call.”
Cars lined up for gasoline in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday.Credit.Logan Cyrus/Agence France-Presse Getty Images
Published May 13, 2021Updated May 18, 2021
WASHINGTON The audacious ransomware attack that shut down a major fuel pipeline and sent Americans scrambling for gasoline in the Southeast this week was not the first time hackers have disrupted America’s aging, vulnerable energy infrastructure. And it’s unlikely to be the last.
in the days to come. you can imagine the recovery from something of this magnitude is going to take a significant amount of time and there are certain things that can never be replaced that were lost today. jonathon monken, thank you, sir. we appreciate you. good luck to you guys. absolutely. keep the good prayers coming. we certainly will. we re going to move on from illinois now and go to indiana, where an eerie scene began to develop over the skies of indianapolis. dark clouds and heavy rain quickly swept across the city skyline. the city has been under a flood advisory since the storms rolled through. meanwhile, cars were tossed like toys outside a starbucks in lebanon, indiana. storm chasers followed the path of the damage across the state. high wind warnings are still in place for much of indiana. and we have been getting a lot of images from social media. and we are going to get some of those images for you on the air tonight. our rosa flores is standing by with those stor