Is there a US gas shortage? Three questions about pipeline hack.
Cyberattacks may seem an abstract threat to many Americans. But the ransomware strike that knocked offline a key gasoline pipeline last week has created concrete problems for drivers in the Southeast as fuel prices creep up and lines form at service stations in affected areas.
The pipeline came back online Wednesday evening, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced, although it is expected to take several days to become fully operational. But the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline system underscores the continued vulnerability of important sections of the country’s infrastructure to foreign hackers seeking chaos or cash, or both. Many potential targets of cyber extortion haven’t invested enough in computer security in recent years, say some experts. Meanwhile, the explosion of remote work during a pandemic has created more holes where bad
What happened?Is there a gas shortage?Are ransomware attacks increasing?
