"Eight Questions" on the "Black" Incident of America's Largest Oil Pipeline

Author: Zhong Xin

The largest fuel pipeline operator in the United States recently encountered a ransomware attack and was forced to temporarily shut down the system for a few days, causing widespread disruption of pipeline transportation.

Who was blackmailed?

The ransomware attacked the Colonial Pipeline Company, the largest fuel transportation pipeline operator in the United States.

This operator operates nearly half of the fuel supply on the East Coast of the United States.

Who did it?

According to the latest news, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed in a statement on May 10, local time that a professional cybercriminal organization named "DarkSide" was responsible for this incident.

The FBI said it will continue to work closely with Colonial Pipeline Transportation Company and government partners to investigate.

What is the real purpose of the hacker?

At the same time, the "dark side" also spoke on May 10, local time.

　　The statement did not say how much money the hackers wanted.

　　The "dark side" statement stated that they will inspect their hacker team to "avoid impact on society in the future.

　　Some security experts believe that the latest statement issued on May 10 indicates that hackers on the "dark side" are trying to distance themselves from the chaos they have caused.

　　How long will the oil "aorta" stop?

　　The Colonial Pipeline Transportation Company’s oil pipeline was shut down for a week.

　　The company said in a statement: "We are in accordance with relevant federal regulations and in close consultation with the Department of Energy, which leads and coordinates the federal government's response measures, to gradually restore the operation of some pipelines.

　　The company stated that it will gradually restart some services in a phased manner.

　　How does the US government respond?

　　After the incident, it caused the US government to pay close attention.

　　The White House has established an emergency working group to deal with potential energy supply problems and has relaxed regulations on oil transportation on highways.

　　US Secretary of Commerce Raymondo said on May 9 that the federal government is helping the company to avoid supply disruptions.

　　After the pipeline was forced to close, the U.

　　The White House Press Secretary Psaki said on May 10 that the Colonial Pipeline Transportation Company did not request the support of the federal government and pointed out that the company is working to restore the network.

　　What does Biden think?

　　US President Biden heard a briefing on the incident before, and later said in a speech in the East Room of the White House: "My government takes this very seriously.
We are working with the FBI and the Department of Justice to prosecute ransomware criminals.
"

　　Biden also said: "My government is also committed to protecting our critical infrastructure, most of which are privately owned and managed like Colonial.
"

　　Biden continued, "So far, our intelligence personnel have no evidence that Russia participated in this attack, but the malware seems to have originated in Russia.
"

　　Kremlin spokesman Peskov told CNN on May 10 that the Russian government denied involvement in the attack.
Peskov said: "Russia has not, and has not participated in any cyber attacks in the past.
"

　　Will oil prices soar?

　　After Colonier was forced to shut down the entire oil delivery system, analysts worried that this could lead to a recent surge in oil prices.

　　American Chinese Net reported that the cyber attack has caused some retail gas stations to restrict sales and push the benchmark gasoline price to a three-year high.

　　As the seasonal peak demand approaches, the pipeline shutdown may further cause oil prices to soar.
Klossa, the global head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), said the magnitude of the surge in oil prices will "depend on the number of days this line is interrupted.
"

　　Klossa said that from northern Georgia to the Delmarva Peninsula, which includes parts of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, there may be a surge in oil prices.
He explained that the supply of gasoline in the Northeast is easily supplemented by foreign imports, but several other states have no such advantage.

　　Klossa also said: "Tennessee may also have supply problems because the state often exceeds supply under normal circumstances.
"

　　What problems did this incident reveal?

　　This incident is one of the most destructive digital blackmail incidents in the history of the United States, and it has raised concerns about the vulnerability of US energy infrastructure to hacker attacks.

　　According to the analysis, the incident highlighted the broader issue of security vulnerabilities in critical U.
S.
systems and exposed the vulnerability of U.
S.
critical infrastructure to cyber attacks.
For the White House, this is still a serious problem, and the White House is finalizing an executive order designed to better respond to cyber attacks.

　　CNN reported that US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Commissioner Chatterjee said on May 10 that this incident has sounded a wake-up call for the United States.