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Colonial Pipeline cyberattack

The Colonial Pipeline cyberattack took place on Friday, May 7, 2021, when Colonial Pipeline suffered a malware attack that forced them to shut down their system.[1][2][3] The attack halted all of the pipeline's operations.[4][5][6][7] Colonial Pipeline said that the attack affected some of their information systems. President Biden declared a state of emergency on Sunday, May 9.[8][9] Politico said it was "what is believed to be the largest successful cyberattack on oil infrastructure in the country's history" and was told by a source that the attack was carried out by a ransomware criminal enterprise called DarkSide, not a nation-state.[10] The same group is believed to have stolen 100 gigabytes of data from company servers the day before the malware attack.[11]

Background

The Colonial Pipeline carries gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from Texas to as far away as New York. About 45% of all fuel consumed on the East Coast arrives via the pipeline system.[3] The attack came amid growing concerns over the vulnerability of infrastructure to cyberattacks after several high-profile attacks, including the 2020 SolarWinds hack that hit multiple government agencies, including the Pentagon, the Treasury Department, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.[3]

Impact

After Colonial Pipeline reported that its corporate computer networks were hit by the ransomware attack, the company shut down the pipeline as a precaution due to a concern that the hackers might have obtained information allowing them to carry out further attacks on vulnerable parts of the pipeline.[4] The day after the attack, Colonial could not confirm when the pipeline would resume normal functions.[4] The attackers also stole nearly 100 gigabytes of data and threatened to release it on the internet if the ransom was not paid.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Bing, Christopher (8 May 2021). Cyber attack shuts down top U.S. fuel pipeline network.
  2. ↑ Segers, Grace (8 May 2021). Cyberattack prompts major pipeline operator to halt operations.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Peñaloza, Marisa (8 May 2021). Cybersecurity Attack Shuts Down A Top U.S. Gasoline Pipeline.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sanger, David (8 May 2021). Cyberattack Forces a Shutdown of a Top U.S. Pipeline.
  5. ↑ Eaton, Collin (8 May 2021). U.S. Pipeline Cyberattack Forces Closure.
  6. ↑ Stracqualursi, Veronica (8 May 2021). Cyberattack forces major US fuel pipeline to shut down.
  7. ↑ Colonial Pipeline blames ransomware for pipeline shutdown (8 May 2021).
  8. ↑ Suderman, Alan (8 May 2021). Major US pipeline halts operations after ransomware attack.
  9. ↑ Top US pipeline operator shuts major fuel line after cyber attack (8 May 2021).
  10. ↑ "'Jugular' of the U.S. fuel pipeline system shuts down after cyberattack", Politico, May 8, 2021. “The infiltration of a major fuel pipeline is "the most significant, successful attack on energy infrastructure we know of."” 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Colonial Hackers Stole Data Thursday Ahead of Shutdown", Bloomberg News, May 8, 2021. 
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