Security News > 2021 > May > Colonial Pipeline attack ratchets up ransomware game
On Friday, Colonial Pipeline Company discovered that it had been hit by a ransomware attack.
The attack forced Colonial Pipeline to shut down certain systems, temporarily stopping all pipeline operations.
James Shank, Ransomware Task Force committee lead for worst case scenarios, said that this type of attack against critical infrastructure or services shows the rise of ransomware as a threat to national security, especially as we continue to grapple with COVID-19.
"Targeting pipelines and distribution channels like this attack on the Colonial Pipeline Co. makes sense-ransomware is about extortion and extortion is about pressure," Shank told TechRepublic.
Colonial Pipeline has contracted security firm FireEye Mandiant to investigate the attack.
In the meantime, the FBI has fingered the DarkSide ransomware gang as the culprit behind this attack.
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