The Colonial Pipeline Company, the leading fuel pipeline operator in the United States responsible for transporting over 100 million gallons of fuel daily, confirmed that it is the target of a ransomware attack.
On Friday, the company was forced to take IT systems offline to contain the threat, effectively halting all pipeline operations.
Colonial Pipeline supplies an estimated 45% of the fuel for the East Coast of the United States.
As of Sunday evening, Colonial Pipeline had not yet established a timeline for when operations would be restored.
Media reports attribute the attack to a criminal organization known as DarkSide and not a nation-state.
Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at CISA, states “We are engaged with the company and our interagency partners regarding this situation. This underscores the threat that ransomware poses to organizations regardless of size or sector. “
