[Source: BBC]
The US government declared a state of emergency on Sunday after the largest fuel pipeline in the US was hit by a ransomware cyber-attack.
The Colonial Pipeline carries 2.5 million barrels a day – 45% of the East Coast’s supply of diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel.
It was completely knocked offline by a cyber-criminal gang on Friday and is still working to restore service.
The amendment to the Jones Act enables fuel to be transported by road.
Experts say fuel prices are likely to rise 2-3% on Monday, but the impact will be far worse if it goes on for much longer.
Multiple sources have confirmed that the ransomware attack was caused by a cyber-criminal gang called Dark Side, who infiltrated Colonial’s network on Thursday and took almost 100GB of data hostage.
After seizing the data, the hackers locked the data on some computers and servers, demanding a ransom on Friday. If it is not paid, they are threatening to leak it onto the internet.
Colonial said it is working with law enforcement, cyber-security experts, and the Department of Energy to restore service.
