Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack
The Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack was a May 2021 cyberattack attributed to the DarkSide group that led Colonial to shut down the largest fuel pipeline in the United States for several days.
What happened and why it matters
The Colonial attack showed that a cyber incident at one supplier can spread into fuel prices and freight costs across a region. Colonial learned of the ransomware on May 7, 2021, and halted its roughly 5,500-mile pipeline, which carries about 45% of the fuel used on the East Coast. Gasoline shortages spread through the Southeast before operations restarted on May 12. The company paid a ransom of 75 bitcoin, about $4.4 million, much of which the Justice Department later recovered. For shippers, events like this show up in fuel surcharges, and they are a reason to protect warehouse and transportation systems against ransomware.