Colonial Pipeline cyberattack forces shutdown of major US energy pipeline in ‘extremely sophisticated’ hit
A MASSIVE “extremely sophisticated” cyberattack was launched against a major US energy pipeline – forcing it to shutdown.
Colonial Pipeline said the hack attack took place on Friday and also impacted some of the firm’s information technology systems.
The 5,500 mile pipeline carries refined gasoline and jet fuel up the East Coast from Texas to New York – it carries some 45 per cent of fuel supplies on the East Coast.
It transports some 2.5million barrels each day – taking refined gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from the Gulf Coast to major airports and New York Harbor.
The attack is not believed to disrupt any fuel supplies.
The company describes itself as the largest refined products pipeline in the United States.
The Alpharetta, Georgia-based company said it hired an outside cybersecurity firm to investigate the nature and scope of the attack and has also contacted law enforcement and federal agencies.
FBI agents lead such investigations – but attacks on critical infrastructure are the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Experts said this attack appears to have been “highly sophisticated” and that it highlighted weaknesses in security infrastructure.
It just months after two major attacks on American computer networks – the Solar Winds hack, believed to have been carried out by Russia, and an hack attempt on Microsoft, believed to be the work of China.
Fears loom that cyberattacks could be a new frontline in global conflict as state actors attempt to disrupt rivals infrastructure through secretive hacking attempts.
In a statement, the firm said: “Colonial Pipeline 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.”
The precise nature of the incident was unclear, including who launched the attack and what the motives were.
Mike Chapple, teaching professor of IT, analytics and operations at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and a former computer scientist with the National Security Agency, said systems that control pipelines should not be connected to the internet and vulnerable to cyber intrusions.
“The attacks were extremely sophisticated and they were able to defeat some pretty sophisticated security controls, or the right degree of security controls weren’t in place,” Chapple said.
A hacker’s botched attempt to poison the water supply of a small Florida city raised alarms about how vulnerable the nation’s critical infrastructure may be to attacks by more sophisticated intruders.
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Anne Neuberger, the Biden administration’s deputy national security adviser for cybersecurity and emerging technology, said in an interview with The Associated Press in April that the government was undertaking a new effort to help electric utilities, water districts and other critical industries protect against potentially damaging cyberattacks.
She said the goal was to ensure that control systems serving 50,000 or more Americans have the core technology to detect and block malicious cyber activity.
Since then, the White House has announced a 100-day initiative aimed at protecting the country’s electricity system from cyberattacks by encouraging owners and operators of power plants and electric utilities to improve their capabilities for identifying cyber threats to their networks. It includes concrete milestones for them to put technologies into use so they can spot and respond to intrusions in real time.
The Justice Department has also announced a new task force dedicated to countering ransomware attacks in which data is seized by hackers who demand payment from victims in order to release it.
More to follow…
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