President Joe Biden and his administration are contemplating additional activities after the massive cyberattack targeting one of the largest fuel pipelines in the US. Last Friday, the Colonial Pipeline discontinued its operations and notified federal agencies that it was targeted by a massive ransomware attack, CNBC reported.
The attack is said to have been carried out by the criminal cyber group known as DarkSide. It forced the company to shut down approximately 5,500 miles of pipeline, which in turn led to a disruption of nearly half of the nation’s East Coast fuel supply.
The federal government’s investigation is led by the Department of Energy, in coordination with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense. President Biden has been receiving regular briefings on the matter.
Biden also added that his administration does not have intelligence to support claims that Moscow directed the ransomware attack. However, Biden said that he would still discuss the situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has denied claims that it has engaged into cyberattacks against Washington.
“So far there is no evidence from our intelligence people that Russia is involved although there is evidence that the actor’s ransomware is in Russia, they have some responsibility to deal with this,” the President said.
Ransomware attacks involve malware that encrypts files on a device or network that results in the system becoming inoperable. Criminals behind these types of cyberattacks typically demand a ransom in exchange for the release of data.
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