A recent ransomware attack has successfully shut down one of the largest U.S. gasoline pipelines and analysts are claiming that "core elements of our national infrastructure" are still venerable to cyber attacks. This cyber attack hit the Colonial Pipeline, which carries gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from Texas to New York and moves about 45% of all fuel consumed on the East Coast. This is just the latest in high-profile ransomware incidents as it follows a recent attack that targeted the Washington, D.C., police department. Heads of the Colonial Pipeline released a statement, "we proactively took certain systems offline to contain the threat, which has temporarily halted all pipeline operations, and affected some of our IT systems." The company said it contacted federal agencies and law enforcement, as well as enlisting a third-party cybersecurity firm to help with an investigation "into the nature and scope of this incident."
The pipeline shutdown only adds to the growing concerns over vulnerabilities in the United States infrastructure after several recent cyberattacks, including last year's attack at the software company SolarWinds that hit several U.S. government agencies, including the Pentagon, the Treasury Department, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, as reported by NPR. The Biden administration originally responded to the SolarWinds attack by issuing an executive order to help the country better protect itself against cybersecurity attacks.
Heads at Colonial Pipeline said after the incident that it is "taking steps to understand and resolve this issue. At this time, our primary focus is the safe and efficient restoration of our service and our efforts to return to normal operation. This process is already underway, and we are working diligently to address this matter and to minimize disruption to our customers and those who rely on Colonial Pipeline." Updates related to the Colonial Pipeline will be posted to our blog as they arise to make sure that you stay updated and informed on the issue.