Colonial Pipeline Security Incident

It has been almost 2 weeks since Sangfor wrote about the DarkSide ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline in the US, and a week since operations were restored, but the after-effects continue. Although gas is again flowing through the largest pipeline in the US, gasoline prices hit a six-year high with a national average of $3.04 USD per gallon this week, as over 10,000 pumps on the eastern half of the country were still without supply . At one-point last week, the price of gasoline reached $6.99 USD due to hoarding and price gouging. It was also confirmed today that Joseph Blount, CEO of Colonial Pipeline Co., paid $4.4M USD ransom in 75 Bitcoins to the DarkSide group on May 7, the day of the attack. Mr. Blount, after much consideration, likened the ransomware attack to pipeline and refinery shutdowns lasting several days, that occurred during many past strong Gulf Coast hurricanes. Joseph Blount, CEO of Colonial Pipeline. Photo: PHOTO: COLONIAL PIPELINE CO. I know thats a highly controversial decision. I didnt make it lightly, Mr. Blount said publicly today. I will admit that I wasnt comfortable seeing money go out the door to people like this. But it was the right thing to do for the country. It may have been the right thing to do for the country, but it did little to help restore operations at Colonial Pipeline. The decryption tool provided after payment was so slow , Colonial Pipeline still had to restore backups of data to restore operations in a timely manner. Colonial Pipelines pipeline system moves gasoline and other fuels from refineries in the US Gulf Coast and other locations over 5,500 miles to customers in the Eastern and Southern United States. The pipeline normally carries over 100 million gallons of fuel per day (45% of all fuel consumed on the eastern half of the US), making it the biggest refined products pipeline in the US, according to the company. Ransamware Attack Timeline The Colonial Pipeline story is not just about a company recovering...

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