Responses to Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack include government action and panic buying

While I've been busy blogging about Liz Cheney, another news story was happening that I would have jumped on as the kind of shiny object I couldn't resist, Cyber Attack Forces Major Gas And Diesel Pipeline Shutdown. Take it away, TODAY Show!

Colonial Pipeline was forced to temporarily shut down all operations in its system spanning from Texas to New Jersey after a major cyberattack involving ransomware. The company transports more than 100 million gallons of refined products per day, and the attack is leading to fears of a spike in gas prices. NBC’s Kathy Park reports for Sunday TODAY.

This story checks off a bunch of boxes for me: energy, oil, infrastructure, technology, cybersecurity, and crime. Higher oil prices because of attack on Saudi facility plus driving update for Pearl on Talk Like A Pirate Day from 2019 didn't hit that many!

Park's report concluded by looking at the effect on consumers, a topic I will return to shortly. ABC News put the ransomware attack in the context of other cyberattacks in Major fuel pipeline forced to shut down after cyber attack.

The pipeline supplies 45% of the East Coast’s fuel products, including gasoline, diesel and home heating oil.

While I've written about cybersecurity occasionally here, most recently in '60 Minutes' interviews Chris Krebs and more about election cybersecurity for Cyber Monday, I think I've mentioned "securing utilities from cyber attacks" only once in 2003 Blackout still being studied seven years ago. That was regarding electrical generating plants and transmission lines, but it was still energy infrastructure so the same principles apply.

CBNC identified the people responsible in Hacker group allegedly behind pipeline ransomware attack posts statement.

CNBC's Eamon Javers reports on new details in the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline.

Russian criminals are behind this. Why am I not surprised? My response to this news was a snarky tweet.

"What happens when the offender is a stateless criminal group, presuming the state where it resides is not supporting it?"
Harris just described #SPECTRE, so send in #JamesBond. Too bad he's not real.https://t.co/etpPSEofy9 https://t.co/5LP4HbBsD4

— Pinku Sensei (@pinkusensei) May 10, 2021

It could be even more absurd. With a name like "Darkside," the appropriate people to send in might be Luke Skywalker or Superman.

Follow over the jump for more reaction to Russian ransomware shutting down the Colonial Pipeline.

FOX 16 KLRT in Little Rock, Arkansas described the likely effects on consumers in Emergency declaration in 17 states and D.C. regarding fuel pipeline cyberattack.


Gas prices were rising anyway because driving is increasing from both warmer weather and economic recovery from the pandemic, so shortages are just adding to them. At least the federal government is doing what it can to lessen the impact in addition to investigating the crime itself. CBS News has that story in U.S. officials respond to ransomware attack targeting major fuel pipeline.

The Biden administration says it expects a major East Coast fuel pipeline to be up and running by the weekend, following a debilitating ransomware attack. The FBI says the Colonial Pipeline was targeted Friday by a group of cybercriminals known as "DarkSide." CBS News intelligence and national security reporter Olivia Gazis joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" host Elaine Quijano with the latest.

CBS News focused on the federal government's law enforcement and cybersecurity responses. PBS NewsHour examined consumer behavior in 'Panic buying' is driving the fuel shortage after Colonial Pipeline hack, expert says.

The Biden administration says it is trying to mitigate the impact of a cyber attack that disrupted the Colonial Pipeline, which supplies to 45% of the Southeast and is still down five days later. Reports of shortages and rising prices are popping up in states served by the pipeline. Amna Nawaz discusses the aftermath with Tom Kloza, head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service.

Trevor Noah joked that people searched for toilet paper on Google last year. Maybe this year, it will be gasoline. In the meantime, stay tuned and stay calm.