WASHINGTON — The operator of a critical fuel pipeline on the East Coast paid extortionists roughly 75 Bitcoin — or nearly $5 million — to recover its stolen data, according to people briefed on the transaction, clearing the way for gas to begin flowing again but complicating President Biden’s efforts to deter future attacks. Colonial Pipeline made the ransom payment to the hacking group DarkSide after the cybercriminals last week held up the company’s business networks with ransomware, a form of malware that encrypts data until the victim pays, and threatened to release it online. DarkSide is believed to operate from Eastern Europe, possibly Russia. With Republicans blaming Mr. Biden for soaring fuel prices and scenes of panicked motorists swarming gas stations, the president on Thursday embraced news that the 5,500-mile pipeline was resuming service. But he cautioned it would take time to resolve shortages and warned gas stations not to engage in price gouging.

Source: New York Times May 14, 2021 00:18 UTC