Colonial Pipeline paid a $5M ransom – but will that only invite other malware hacks?: 'If the payments stop, the attacks will stop' Dennis Wagner, USA TODAY Replay Video UP NEXT The reported ransom payment by a beleaguered U.S. oil pipeline company to cyber hackers may spur even more criminal malware attacks on critical U.S. targets, according to cybersecurity experts, and could fuel calls for a ban on such payments. The critiques stem from a decision by Colonial Pipeline, a gasoline delivery company, to pay more than $5 million for control of its computer system from a criminal syndicate known as Darkside.