By Dominic Taylor-
The cyber attack which shut-down a vital US pipeline was carried out by a criminal group known as DarkSide that cultivates a Robin Hood image of stealing from corporations and giving a cut to charity.
Operations on the the pipeline that carries gasoline and other fuel from Texas to the north-east coast stretched into a third day, as revelation of the criminal association of the attack became known.
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President Joe Biden’s administration says an “all-hands-on-deck” effort is underway to restore operations and avoid disruptions in the energy supply.
The incident is the worst cyberattack to date on critical US infrastructure, and alarmed companies about their potential vulnerabilities.
The pipeline, operated by Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline, delivers roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast, according to the company.
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It was hit by what Colonial called a ransomware attack, in which hackers typically lock up computer systems by encrypting data, paralysing networks and then demand a large ransom to unscramble it . On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it was actively in the process of restoring some of its IT systems.
The Department of Energy is leading the federal government response.
It is among ransomware gangs that have “professionalised” a criminal industry that has cost Western nations tens of billions of dollars in losses in the past three years.
DarkSide claims that it does not attack hospitals and nursing homes, educational or government targets and that it donates a portion of its take to charity.
It has been active since August and, typical of the most potent ransomware gangs, is known to avoid targeting organizations in former Soviet bloc nations.
Colonial did not say whether it has paid or was negotiating a ransom, and DarkSide neither announced the attack on its dark web site nor responded to an Associated Press reporter’s queries.
On Sunday, Colonial Pipeline said it is developing a “system restart” plan. It said its main pipeline remains offline but some smaller lines are now operational.
The Biden administration responded on Sunday with an emergency loosening of regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.
The shutdown is already prompting worries about a spike in gasoline and diesel prices ahead of the peak summer driving season if the outage does not end soon.
Colonial did not immediately reply to an email from Reuters seeking comment outside usual US business hours.
Colonial Pipeline shut its entire network after the breach of its computer networks, the source of nearly half of the US east coast’s fuel supply, after a cyber attack that involved ransomware.
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