Largest U.S. oil pipeline hacked for ransom

On Friday (May 7), the United States declared national emergency after the largest local fuel pipeline operator was taken offline by a cyber-attack. Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. product pipeline operator, was forced to shut down a critical fuel network that supplies oil to states on the eastern coast after a ransomware attack.

Colonial is the leading producer of refined oil pipelines in the United States.  It transports 2.5 million barrels of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel every day from refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast to densely populated eastern regions such as New York, Washington, Atlanta, etc. land, with a total pipeline length of more than 5,500 miles.

The ransomware attack was launched by a cybercriminal gang called DarkSide. The "dark side" hacked into Colonial Pipeline's network, obtained 100GB of data, and demanded a ransom for it. The "Dark Side" claims that if the ransom is not paid, they leak their data onto the internet.

Fuel suppliers are increasingly concerned about possible gasoline and diesel shortages in the eastern U.S. Protracted disruptions to the pipeline system could cause the average U.S. gasoline price to top $3 a gallon for the first time since October 2014, further fueling concerns about inflation as global commodity prices rise.