Colonial Pipeline confirms it paid $4.4M to hackers

The operator of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline confirmed it paid $4.4 million to a gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems.

Colonial Pipeline said Wednesday that after it learned of the May 7 ransomware attack, the company took its pipeline system offline and needed to do everything in its power to restart it quickly and safely, and made the decision then to pay the ransom.

“This decision was not made lightly,” but it was one that had to be made, a company spokesman said. “Tens of millions of Americans rely on Colonial — hospitals, emergency medical services, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, airports, truck drivers and the traveling public.”

Colonial Pipeline’s CEO, Joseph Blount, told The Wall Street Journal he authorized the payment because the company didn’t know the extent of the damage and wasn’t sure how long it would take to bring the pipeline’s systems back.

The FBI discourages making ransom payments to ransomware attackers. But many victims of ransomware attacks opt to pay.

“I know that’s a highly controversial decision,” Blount told the Journal. “But it was the right thing to do for the country.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3v7wYlA