Security News > 2021 > May > Hack Prompts New Security Regulations for US Pipelines

The federal government will issue cybersecurity regulations in the coming days for U.S. pipeline operators following a ransomware attack that led to fuel shortages across much of the Eastern Seaboard.

The Transportation Security Administration, which oversees the nation's network of pipelines, is expected to issue a security directive this week that will address some of the issues raised by the Colonial Pipeline shutdown, a U.S. official said Tuesday.

The directive will include a requirement that pipeline companies report cyber incidents to the federal government, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proposal has not yet been publicly released.

"I have spoken well before the pipeline cyber attack that ransomware is one of the greatest cyber security threats that we face in the United States," Mayorkas said.

The extent of the risk became apparent when Colonial Pipeline was targeted in a ransomware attack that prompted the company to shut down a system that delivers about 45% of the gasoline consumed on the East Coast.

"While the Colonial Pipeline attack shows there is much more work to be done to protect the nation's pipelines and other critical infrastructure from cyber attacks, this TSA security directive is a major step in the right direction towards ensuring that pipeline operators are taking cybersecurity seriously and reporting any incidents immediately," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee.

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