EnergyTop U.S. fuel pipeline operator pushes to recover from cyberattack
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Holding tanks are seen at Colonial Pipeline s Linden Junction Tank Farm in Woodbridge, New Jersey, U.S. in an undated photograph. Colonial Pipeline/Handout via REUTERS.
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Colonial Pipeline, top U.S. fuel pipeline operator, continued work on Sunday to recover from a ransomware cyberattack that forced it to shut down on Friday and sparked worries of a spike in retail gasoline prices.
The incident is one of the most disruptive digital ransom operations ever reported and has prompted calls from American lawmakers to tighten up protection for critical U.S. energy infrastructure against hackers. read more
Cyberattack shuts down major US fuel pipeline
Top US fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline shut its entire network, the source of nearly half of the US East Coast’s fuel supply, after a cyberattack on Friday that involved ransomware.
The incident is one of the most disruptive digital ransom operations ever reported and has drawn attention to how vulnerable US energy infrastructure is to hackers. A prolonged shutdown of the line would cause prices to spike at the pumps ahead of peak summer driving season, a potential blow to US consumers and the economy.
“This is as close as you can get to the jugular of infrastructure in the United States,” said Amy Myers Jaffe, research professor and MD of the Climate Policy Lab. “It’s not a major pipeline. It’s
By Stephanie Kelly and Christopher Bing
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Top U.S. fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline shut its entire network, the source of nearly half of the U.S. East Coast’s fuel supply, after a cyber attack that involved ransomware.
The incident is one of the most disruptive digital ransom operations ever reported and has drawn attention to how critical U.S. energy infrastructure is vulnerable to hackers. A prolonged shutdown would cause prices to spike at gasoline pumps ahead of peak summer driving season.
Colonial transports 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined products through 5,500 miles (8,850 km) of pipelines linking refiners on the Gulf Coast to the eastern and southern United States. It serves some of the country’s largest airports, including Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport, the world’s busiest by passenger traffic.
Knowns and unknowns about the hack at Colonial Pipeline by Reuters
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By Raphael Satter
WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - Ransom-seeking hackers have broken into Colonial Pipeline, prompting the company to shut one of America s major arteries for fuel delivery.
Here is a look at what we know, and what we don t, about one of the most disruptive digital shakedown efforts to hit a U.S. company.
WHO IS INVOLVED?
Alpharetta, Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline and the U.S. government have both blamed ransomware for the massive outage, pointing the finger at cybercriminal gangs who routinely hold data and computer networks hostage in exchange for digital currency payments.