@Lando Lincoln
LOL! Well, 'SOMEBODY' paid it. Not Colonial, perhaps.
Still say that the Biden (Obama) administration paid it out of the infrastructure funds. After all, it's 'Petty Cash' when you're talking about $1.3Trillion.
They see the People are blaming the Biden White House and they couldn't have that, when their other hand is whipping up the citizenry with this White Devil Domestic Terrorist nonsense.
No way would Colonial pay it because they know they've got a State-of-the Art, 'Fail-Safe' system and ordinarily should be able to get back online in less than 12 hours, as @roamer_1 , et al, explained.
Realizing this all reads like crazy...but does that mean it couldn't happen? Today?
Exactly!
Not surprising to realize that probably one a national government would have the sophistication to hack the Colonial software, or a major Big Fascist Tech firm.
So pick from (China, Russia, Israel, Iran, China, Japan, the United States, or China) on the one hand, or (Google, Twitter, Fakebook, or Microsoft) on the other.
Either set is capable, either set could be willing, either set could actually want to do it.
Our domestic tech giants are no less a direct enemy to America than the foreign governments they wish to supercede.