On May 7, Colonial Pipeline, the largest pipeline system for refined oil products in the U.S, was shut down. It met roughly 45% of the East Coast’s fuel needs, transporting 100 million gallons per day. It was said to be taken down by a ransomware attack.
The attack was attributed to a company called DarkSide. The company runs a legitimate Ransomware-as-a-Service business! The group provides a set of readymade tools for its customers to employ in order to blackmail companies according to Axios’ Ina Fried.
The gang claimed to have a code of conduct that forbid targeting industries and non-profit organizations connected to the public interest according to Sophos. They have hacked into the systems of other players in the past. But this time, they went a bit too far. On May 10, they released the following press release implying a mighty OOPS moment. They said all they wanted was to make money and not create any problems for the society.
[…] To be read in tandem with this earlier post. […]