A criminal gang known as DarkSide carried out the ransomware attack that has forced the shutdown of a vital U.S. pipeline, a person close to the investigation said. The pipeline delivers roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast.
FILE - In this Sept. 8, 2008 file photo traffic on I-95 passes oil storage tanks owned by the Colonial Pipeline Company in Linden, N.J. A major pipeline that transports fuels along the East Coast says it had to stop operations because it was the victim of a cyberattack. Colonial Pipeline said in a statement late Friday that it “took certain systems offline to contain the threat, which has temporarily halted all pipeline operations, and affected some of our IT systems.
It was hit by what Colonial called a ransomware attack, in which hackers typically lock up computer systems by encrypting data and then demand a large ransom to release it. The company has not said what was demanded or who made the demand. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Sunday that ransomware attacks are “what businesses now have to worry about,” and that she will work “very vigorously” with the Homeland Security Department to address the problem, calling it a top priority for the administration.“Unfortunately, these sorts of attacks are becoming more frequent,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” ”We have to work in partnership with business to secure networks to defend ourselves against these attacks.
“For companies vulnerable to ransomware, it’s a bad sign because they are probably more vulnerable to more serious attacks,” he said. Russian cyberwarriors, for example, crippled the electrical grid in Ukraine during the winters of 2015 and 2016.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Moscow Cuts U.S. Embassy Staff Marking Latest Decline In U.S.-Russia RelationshipThe embassy will now only be able to offer life-and-death services.
Read more »
‘They will slaughter us’: Afghans who worked with US beg for visas as troop withdrawal loomsUS veterans groups are calling on the Biden administration to evacuate Afghans who worked with American troops during the war and Taliban would target
Read more »
U.S. pipeline company halts some operations after cyberattackA company that operates a major U.S. energy pipeline says it was forced to temporarily halt all pipeline operations following a cybersecurity attack.
Read more »
Cyberattack forces major US fuel pipeline to shut downA cyberattack forced the temporary shut down of one of the US' largest pipelines Friday, highlighting already heightened concerns over the vulnerabilities in the nation's critical infrastructure.
Read more »
Cyberattack shuts down US pipeline that supplies 45% of fuel to East Coast
Read more »