"Jugular' of the U.S. fuel pipeline system shuts down after cyberattack
The infiltration of a major fuel pipeline is "the most significant, successful attack on energy infrastructure we know of."
By GLORIA GONZALEZ, BEN LEFEBVRE and ERIC GELLER
05/08/2021 11:03 AM EDT
Updated: 05/08/2021 09:29 PM EDT
The main fuel supply line to the U.S. East Coast has shut down indefinitely after the pipeline's operator suffered what is believed to be the largest successful cyberattack on oil infrastructure in the country's history — presenting a danger of spiking gasoline prices and a fresh challenge to President Joe Biden's pledges to secure the nation against threats.
The attack on the Colonial Pipeline, which runs 5,500 miles and provides nearly half the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel used on the East Coast, most immediately affected some of the company’s business-side computer systems — not the systems that directly run the pipelines themselves. The Georgia-based company said it shut down the pipelines as a precaution and has engaged a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate the incident, which it confirmed was a ransomware attack. It first disclosed the shutdown late Friday and said it has also contacted law enforcement and other federal agencies.
Biden received a briefing on the incident Saturday morning, a White House spokesperson said, adding that the government "is working actively to assess the implications of this incident, avoid disruption to supply, and help the company restore pipeline operations as quickly as possible."
A shutdown that lasts more than a few days could send gasoline prices in the Southeastern U.S. spiking above $3 a gallon, market analysts said. That could deepen the political risks the incident poses for Biden, stealing momentum from his efforts to center the nation's energy agenda on promoting cleaner sources and confronting climate change.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/08/colonial-pipeline-cyber-attack-485984
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