Critical US Fuel Pipeline Halted by Historic Ransomware Attack
A major ransomware attack forces the Colonial Pipeline to shut down, triggering fuel shortages and a national state of emergency along the East Coast.
The Colonial Pipeline experiences the largest publicly disclosed cyberattack against critical infrastructure in United States history when the DarkSide hacker group breaches its network. The attackers steal 100 gigabytes of data and deploy ransomware that infects the company's billing and accounting IT systems, though the operational technology systems that physically move the oil remain untouched.
Fearing the malicious software might spread to the operational systems, Colonial Pipeline proactively halts all pipeline operations for several days. This shutdown disrupts gasoline, jet fuel, and heating oil supplies across the East Coast, prompting President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency due to the severe national security implications.
Colonial Pipeline ultimately pays the DarkSide hackers for a decryption key to regain control of its encrypted IT systems. With the help of federal agencies and private cybersecurity investigators, the company successfully restarts pipeline operations and begins the long process of recovering from this unprecedented disruption to American energy infrastructure.