How the Colonial Pipeline hack could affect gas supplies, prices: Explainer
Updated May 11, 2021;
Posted May 11, 2021
Fuel holding tanks are seen at Colonial Pipeline s Linden Junction Tank Farm on Monday, May 10, 2021 in Woodbridge, New Jersey. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/TNS)TNS
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By FRANK BAJAK AND CATHY BUSSEWITZ, The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) A cyberattack on a critical U.S. pipeline is sending ripple effects across the economy, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging energy infrastructure. The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel used along the Eastern Seaboard, shut down Friday after a ransomware attack by gang of criminal hackers that calls itself DarkSide. Depending on how long the shutdown lasts, the incident could impact millions of consumers.
Why the Colonial Pipeline hack matters, and how it could impact you at the pump
Associated Press
Updated on:May 11, 2021, 7:26am EDT
A cyberattack on a critical U.S. pipeline is sending ripple effects across the economy, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging energy infrastructure. The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel used along the Eastern Seaboard, shut down Friday after a ransomware attack by gang of criminal hackers that calls itself DarkSide. Depending on how long the shutdown lasts, the incident could impact millions of consumers.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COLONIAL PIPELINE?
Colonial Pipeline, the owner, halted all pipeline operations over the weekend, forcing what the company called a precautionary shutdown. U.S. officials said Monday that the “ransomware” malware used in the attack didn’t spread to the critical systems that control the pipeline’s operation. But the mere fact that it could have done so alarmed outside
EXPLAINER: Why the Colonial Pipeline hack matters
This article is provided courtesy of the Associated Press.
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NEW YORK (AP) A cyberattack on a critical U.S. pipeline is sending ripple effects across the economy, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging energy infrastructure. The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel used along the Eastern Seaboard, shut down Friday after a ransomware attack by gang of criminal hackers that calls itself DarkSide. Depending on how long the shutdown lasts, the incident could impact millions of consumers.
Article continues below.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COLONIAL PIPELINE?
Colonial Pipeline, the owner, halted all pipeline operations over the weekend, forcing what the company called a precautionary shutdown. U.S. officials said Monday that the “ransomware” malware used in the attack didn’t spread to the critical systems that control the pipeline’s operation. But the mere fact that it
“My administration is committed to safeguarding our critical infrastructure, much of which is privately owned and managed like Colonial,” Biden said at the White House. “Private entities are making their own determinations on cybersecurity.”
The Colonial Pipeline hack has shined a light on long standing concerns around private industry owning and operating the vast majority of the nation’s critical infrastructure, often leading to less transparency for the federal government into security operations.
It has also raised concerns that the oil and gas sector has less oversight than other utilities.
In the wake of the ransomware attack on the pipeline carried out by a criminal organization known as DarkSide, according to the FBI officials are taking a closer look at the sector.
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BROUILLETTE VERSUS CYBERSECURITY STANDARDS: Trump administration Energy Secretary
Dan Brouillette says requiring pipelines to follow certain cybersecurity standards is not the answer to preventing future attacks like the one on the Colonial Pipeline.
“I am not sure another layer of regulation is going to fix the issue,” Brouillette told Josh in an interview this morning. “There are easier things we can do.”
Bruce Walker, a senior Energy Department official focused on cybersecurity in the Trump administration, agrees with Brouillette that mandating pipeline operators meet a certain standard won’t prevent nation state actors from evading the protections.