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Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline temporarily shut down operations in early May after a gang of criminal hackers known as DarkSide broke into its computer system.
WASHINGTON The Justice Department has recovered the majority of a multi-million dollar ransom paid to hackers after a cyberattack that forced the operator of the country’s largest fuel pipeline to shut down operations last month, said Monday officials.
The operation to recover the cryptocurrency of the Russian-based hacker group is considered the first of its kind and reflects what U.S. officials say is an increasingly aggressive approach to dealing with a ransomware threat that , last month, targeted critical industries around the world.
By tackling an entire ecosystem that powers ransomware and digital currency, we will continue to use all of our tools and resources to increase the costs and consequences of ransomware and other cyber attacks, said the sub. – Attorney General Lisa Monaco. during a press conference announcing the operation.
Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline, which supplies roughly half of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, temporarily shut down operations on May 7 after a gang of criminal hackers known as DarkSide broke into its computer system.
Colonial authorities said they took their pipeline system offline before the attack spread to its operating system, and decided to pay a ransom of around $ 4.4 million in an effort to recover. online as soon as possible.
The FBI generally discourages the payment of a ransom, fearing that this could encourage further hacks.
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