Biden believes that the ownership and management of these important infrastructure in the United States are in the hands of private enterprises, and the government lacks control and security management.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation stated that the largest fuel pipeline company in the United States, the Colonier Pipeline Transportation Company
The cyber attack on the Colonial Pipeline is carried out by the ransomware organization Darkside.
The FBI stated that it will continue to cooperate closely with the Colonier Pipeline Transportation Company and other government departments for investigation.
On the afternoon of the 10th, Colonier Pipeline Transportation Company issued a statement stating that the current situation is "still unstable", but some of the company's systems are resuming operation. The statement stated that the company will restart in a gradual and phased manner, hoping to restore most of the pipeline services by the end of this week.
After being attacked on May 7th, the Colonier Pipeline Transportation Company announced the shutdown of the entire system, and as a result, US President Biden declared a state of emergency for the United States on May 9th.
According to the website of Colonier Pipeline Transportation Company, the company operates a 5500 mile oil pipeline system, which is the largest finished fuel pipeline in the United States. It transports over 100 million gallons of fuel products every day, such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and heating oil, accounting for approximately 45% of the fuel consumption required in the East.
The hacker network group "Dark Side", which had previously remained silent, also posted a brief message on its official website on the 10th: Our purpose is to ask for money, not to create trouble for society. The Dark Side did not mention the name of the Colonier Pipeline Transportation Company, nor did it mention the specific amount of this ransom.
Energy Experts: Exposed Issues in US Energy Infrastructure
Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyberspace Affairs at the White House, stated at a White House press briefing on the 10th that the FBI has been tracking the "dark side" since October last year. Regarding whether the government would recommend the Colonier Pipeline Transport Company to pay ransom to hackers, Newberg stated that this was "a decision made by a private company, and the (government) administrative department did not provide any advice on this matter.".
Energy analysis experts believe that this cyber attack has exposed weak links in the construction of energy infrastructure in the United States.
"The Colonier Pipeline Transportation Company is a very valuable part of the US national energy sector. We joked 40 years ago that the company's oil pipelines would be targeted by hackers, and then oil would leak into the Atlantic?" Energy analyst Tom Kloza from Oil Price Information Service, an American energy consulting firm, said in an interview with First Financial reporters, "The fact is, the Colonier Pipeline Transportation Company has a very strong reconstruction capability. Even if the pipeline is attacked externally, it can be quickly repaired and restored to operation. However, when faced with electronic network attacks, that is another situation."