Top U.S. fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline has shut its entire network, the source of nearly half of the U.S. East Coast's fuel supply, after a cyber attack that industry sources said was caused by ransomware.
Bryan Wood reports.
Colonial Pipeline
Bloomberg TelevisionTop U.S. fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline shutdown its entire network on Friday after a cyberattack.
Bloomberg News reported the attack came from a cybercrime group called DarkSide, which stole a large amount of data starting the day before Colonial halted its operations.
Sources tell Reuters that the attack was caused by ransomware software, a type of malware designed to lockdown systems by encrypting data and demanding payment to regain access.
Colonial transports 45% of east coast fuel supply, moving 2.5 million barrels per day through thousands of miles of pipelines.
In a statement, the company said it shut down systems to contain the threat, but did not give further details or say for how long its pipelines would be shut.
Colonial has engaged a third party cyber security firm to launch an investigation and contacted law enforcement and other federal agencies.
As our technology grows so do our vulnerabilities. The hack on the Colonial Pipeline has made the need for enhanced cybersecurity a..
