Cyberattack Shuts Down Major US Fuel Pipeline
2021-05-11
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1A major U.S. fuel pipeline remains largely shut down Monday after a cyberattack caused service to be suspended.
2The incident, reported Friday, led to the shutdown of a main fuel line operated by Colonial Pipeline, a company based in Georgia.
3The pipeline carries gasoline and other fuel from Texas to the U.S. Northeast.
4The company says it supplies about 45 percent of all the fuel used on the U.S. East Coast.
5Some are considering the cyberattack the most damaging so far against important U.S. infrastructure.
6Colonial said Monday it hopes to have most of its fuel transportation system running again by the end of the week.
7The company is in the process of restarting its network, which transports over 2.5 million barrels of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel each day.
8The company says it was hit by a ransomware attack.
9In such attacks, online attackers infect the computer systems of organizations and hijack information in a way that leaves it unreadable.
10The attacker then demands payment in exchange for returning the information to a readable state.
11Law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident.
12The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Monday the attack was carried out by a criminal group known as DarkSide.
13A news release issued Monday in the name of DarkSide stated its purpose, but did not name Colonial Pipeline, Reuters news agency reported.
14"Our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society," the group said.
15Cybersecurity experts who have studied DarkSide say the group appears to be made up of experienced cybercriminals who aim to get as much money as they can from their targets.
16"They're very new but they're very organized," said Lior Div, chief of Cybereason, a security company based in Boston.
17DarkSide claims it does not attack hospitals, nursing homes or educational or government targets.
18It says it donates part of the money it receives to charity.
19Like most other major ransomware groups, it is known to avoid targeting organizations in former Soviet bloc nations.
20This suggests a link to former Soviet republics.
21The administration of President Joe Biden said it has made restarting the fuel network a top goal.
22The administration said it is working with several agencies on plans to avoid severe fuel disruptions.
23If a shutdown continues, fuel suppliers would need to use trucks and trains to transport fuel.
24The Department of Transportation announced emergency measures Sunday to keep deliveries moving.
25The agency lifted driver restrictions on fuel transporters in 17 states affected by the shutdown.
26Experts said gasoline prices are not likely to be affected if the pipeline is able to restart operations in the next few days.
27But they said the incident should raise awareness of the serious threats companies can face.
28David Kennedy established TrustedSec, a company that helps organizations prepare for and fight cyberattacks.
29He told the AP that once a ransomware attack is discovered, companies have few choices.
30They can either completely rebuild their infrastructure or pay the amount of money being demanded.
31"Ransomware is absolutely out of control and one of the biggest threats we face as a nation," Kennedy said.
32"The problem we face is most companies are grossly underprepared to face these threats."
33I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A major U.S. fuel pipeline remains largely shut down Monday after a cyberattack caused service to be suspended. 2The incident, reported Friday, led to the shutdown of a main fuel line operated by Colonial Pipeline, a company based in Georgia. The pipeline carries gasoline and other fuel from Texas to the U.S. Northeast. The company says it supplies about 45 percent of all the fuel used on the U.S. East Coast. 3Some are considering the cyberattack the most damaging so far against important U.S. infrastructure. 4Colonial said Monday it hopes to have most of its fuel transportation system running again by the end of the week. The company is in the process of restarting its network, which transports over 2.5 million barrels of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel each day. 5The company says it was hit by a ransomware attack. In such attacks, online attackers infect the computer systems of organizations and hijack information in a way that leaves it unreadable. The attacker then demands payment in exchange for returning the information to a readable state. 6Law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Monday the attack was carried out by a criminal group known as DarkSide. 7A news release issued Monday in the name of DarkSide stated its purpose, but did not name Colonial Pipeline, Reuters news agency reported. "Our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society," the group said. 8Cybersecurity experts who have studied DarkSide say the group appears to be made up of experienced cybercriminals who aim to get as much money as they can from their targets. "They're very new but they're very organized," said Lior Div, chief of Cybereason, a security company based in Boston. 9DarkSide claims it does not attack hospitals, nursing homes or educational or government targets. It says it donates part of the money it receives to charity. Like most other major ransomware groups, it is known to avoid targeting organizations in former Soviet bloc nations. This suggests a link to former Soviet republics. 10The administration of President Joe Biden said it has made restarting the fuel network a top goal. The administration said it is working with several agencies on plans to avoid severe fuel disruptions. 11If a shutdown continues, fuel suppliers would need to use trucks and trains to transport fuel. The Department of Transportation announced emergency measures Sunday to keep deliveries moving. The agency lifted driver restrictions on fuel transporters in 17 states affected by the shutdown. 12Experts said gasoline prices are not likely to be affected if the pipeline is able to restart operations in the next few days. But they said the incident should raise awareness of the serious threats companies can face. 13David Kennedy established TrustedSec, a company that helps organizations prepare for and fight cyberattacks. He told the AP that once a ransomware attack is discovered, companies have few choices. They can either completely rebuild their infrastructure or pay the amount of money being demanded. 14"Ransomware is absolutely out of control and one of the biggest threats we face as a nation," Kennedy said. "The problem we face is most companies are grossly underprepared to face these threats." 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 17We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 18_________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20cyberattack - n. an attempt by attackers to damage or destroy a computer network or system 21disruption - n. an interruption that stops something from continuing as it should 22charity - n. an official organization that gives money, food or other assistance to people in need 23infrastructure - n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country or region 24absolute - adj. complete 25grossly - adv. extremely