CEO of pipeline company crippled by cyberattack warns of potential fuel shortages: report

[mystery-ak]

 CEO of pipeline company crippled by cyberattack warns of potential fuel shortages: report
Theresa Braine 8 hrs ago

The CEO of the company whose pipeline was crippled by a cyberattack warned Monday of potential supply shortages in the Southeastern U.S., even as it works to reopen the line and remove the ransomware.

While Colonial Pipeline Co. is working out a complex plan to restart operations, CEO Joseph Blount said in a private meeting Monday, they needed to remove the ransomware before resuming shipments, reported Bloomberg News.

He spoke in a virtual meeting that included Deputy U.S. Energy Secretary David Turk, Bloomberg said, citing someone familiar with the 18-minute discussion. The company did not immediately comment but issued a statement a short time later.

“Restoring our network to normal operations is a process that requires the diligent remediation of our systems, and this takes time,” Colonial said in a statement Monday evening. “In response to the cybersecurity attack on our system, we proactively took certain systems offline to contain the threat, which temporarily halted all pipeline operations, and affected some of our IT systems. To restore service, we must work to ensure that each of these systems can be brought back online safely.”

more
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ceo-of-pipeline-company-crippled-by-cyberattack-warns-of-potential-fuel-shortages-report/ar-BB1gAFrX

[catfish1957]

I don't know how engaged our intelligence communty is in mitigation, and retribution of matters like this. 

But we need a "Sopranos" type response to make it loud and clear that this type of play is dangerous and doens't pay.

[thackney]

Colonial Hacker Group Seeks to Shift Blame for Ransomware
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-10/white-house-creates-task-force-to-deal-with-pipeline-breach

The Federal Bureau of Investigation attributed the massive Colonial Pipeline breach to ransomware created by a relatively new gang called DarkSide on Monday as new details emerged about the group accused of carrying out the attack.

“The FBI confirms that the DarkSide ransomware is responsible for the compromise of the Colonial Pipeline networks,” the agency wrote in a Monday statement.

In its own statement, the DarkSide group hinted that an affiliate may have been behind the attack and that it never intended to cause such upheaval. Like some other ransomware groups, DarkSide offers to sell its malware to others in what is known as “ransomware-as-a-service,” according to the cybersecurity firm Cybereason.

In a message posted on the dark web, where DarkSide maintains a site, the group suggested one of its customers was behind the attack and promised to do a better job vetting them going forward.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Seems this is a textbook description of a domestic terrorist event, yet I do not read those words anywhere in this article.

My bet it does not fit the definitions endorsed by Biden so it will not be defined as such.

[catfish1957]

Colonial Hacker Group Seeks to Shift Blame for Ransomware
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-10/white-house-creates-task-force-to-deal-with-pipeline-breach

The Federal Bureau of Investigation attributed the massive Colonial Pipeline breach to ransomware created by a relatively new gang called DarkSide on Monday as new details emerged about the group accused of carrying out the attack.

“The FBI confirms that the DarkSide ransomware is responsible for the compromise of the Colonial Pipeline networks,” the agency wrote in a Monday statement.

In its own statement, the DarkSide group hinted that an affiliate may have been behind the attack and that it never intended to cause such upheaval. Like some other ransomware groups, DarkSide offers to sell its malware to others in what is known as “ransomware-as-a-service,” according to the cybersecurity firm Cybereason.

In a message posted on the dark web, where DarkSide maintains a site, the group suggested one of its customers was behind the attack and promised to do a better job vetting them going forward.

Seems like enough for an FBI visit.  If you can trust the FBI.

[thackney]

Seems like enough for an FBI visit.  If you can trust the FBI.

I can imagine the visit:

FBI:  So, how many other pipelines can you infect? 

[mystery-ak]

North Carolina declares state of emergency over fuel supply

The state’s massive Colonial Pipeline suffered a cyber attack last week.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/infrastructure/552814-north-carolina-declares-state-of-emergency

[Fishrrman]

catfish wrote:
"But we need a "Sopranos" type response to make it loud and clear that this type of play is dangerous and doens't pay."

A "Mossad-style response" would be better...