Article

2021-05-13 Economy

Top U.S. fuel pipeline recovering from devastating ransomware attack

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[Reuters via US News] (Reuters) - After a six-day outage, the top U.S. fuel pipeline on Thursday moved some of the first millions of gallons of motor fuels to East Coast states after throwing off a crippling cyberattack.

The Colonial Pipeline Co, which can carry 100 million gallons per day of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, resumed computer-controlled pumping after adding safety measures. It will take several days for deliveries to fully recover and interruptions are possible, the company said.

The shutdown caused gasoline shortages and emergency declarations from Virginia to Florida, led two refineries to curb production, and had airlines reshuffling some refueling operations.

Motorists' tempers frayed as panic buying led stations to run out even where supplies were available.

The average national gasoline price rose above $3.00 a gallon, the highest since October 2014, the American Automobile Association said, and prices in some areas rose jumped as much as 11 cents in a day.

HACKERS RESURFACE
As FBI cybersleuths dug into an attack that paralyzed a large part of the U.S. energy infrastructure, the group believed to be responsible said it was publishing data from breaches at three other companies, including an Illinois technology firm.

That’d be the probably Russian DarkSide ransomware corporation, which promised never to be so mean again in its cyber privateering.

It was not known how much money the hackers were seeking and Colonial has declined to comment. But people familiar with the matter said pipeline executives had no intention of paying a ransom. The operator has maintained it took some systems offline as a precaution.

To stem fuel shortages, four states and federal regulators relaxed fuel driver restrictions to speed deliveries of fresh supplies. Georgia suspended sales tax on gasoline until Saturday.

Gulf Coast refiners that move fuel to market on the Colonial Pipeline had cut processing as an alternative pipeline filled to capacity last weekend. Total SE trimmed gasoline production at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery and Citgo Petroleum pared back at its Lake Charles, Louisiana, plant.

Airlines began refueling planes at their destinations, instead of usual departure points. On Wednesday, Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian said more fuel would be available "hopefully by the end of the week and as long as those predictions come true, hopefully we'll be OK."

Posted by Besoeker 2021-05-13 06:39|| || Front Page|| [14 views ] Top

#1 Biden's response is to relax a rule preventing companies from paying ransoms to sanctions countries.

Current situation resembles no one locking the front door to their house, and we try to reduce burglaries by arresting the burglars.

Let me suggest instead that we harden our infrastructure a little. Block spoofed UDP packets at the border (I am told this would be easy to do). Require that all products containing software not include hard coded passwords and be user flashable with updates. Maybe even some level of liability for not providing security updates for your products on a timely basis and for at least 5 years. And possibly allowing ISPs to block internet access by known compromised devices. And for God's sake take all critical infrastructure off the public internet. You know, just for starters.

Posted by Angstrom 2021-05-13 10:38|| 2021-05-13 10:38|| Front Page Top

#2 Step #1: And for God's sake take all critical infrastructure off the public internet.
Step #2: take all voting machines off the internet
Step #3: ban voting machines, insist federal elections to counted like Canada does.
Step #etc:

Posted by Bubba Lover of the Faeries8843 2021-05-13 11:36|| 2021-05-13 11:36|| Front Page Top

#3 So I just read the oil company paid the ransom. At first blush is the old American lie that we never pay ransoms. Truth is we do, and in some instances, like this one, we should. Oh, ouch, hold the your fire. Here's why. In most instances we pay, when we pay we can track the money. Now we know who they are and we can take them down. All of our lack of confidence in the FBI and CIA, the trackers that do this best are US customs guys, ICE guys. I have watched this process in action and it is much easier, and when the takedowns happen the rest of the underworld takes note.

Posted by 49 Pan 2021-05-13 13:44|| 2021-05-13 13:44|| Front Page Top

#4 The history of this pipeline is fascinating. It was built during WW II to avoid U-Boat attacks on tankers between the supply on the Gulf Coast and the refineries & demand in the Northeast (and England.) Government allowed lots of shortcuts in the construction process so it could happen in time to be of use (and it was of GREAT use.) Then after the war, they backed off and allowed prosecution over all those shortcuts. One does wonder if the government is once again playing regulatory games with this pipeline for its own purposes.

Posted by Glenmore 2021-05-13 14:51|| 2021-05-13 14:51|| Front Page Top

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