Colonial Pipeline, the largest midstream asset in the United States, reported IT problems this Tuesday, amid its efforts to fully restore the supply chain it left broken when the ransomware attacked this company.
Firstly, the company reported via Twitter that its internal server was enduring errors and intermittent disruptions during Tuesday morning. However, the company highlighted that these troubles did not had to do what so ever with the cyberattack.
Secondly, the company also reported that it was “working diligently to bring our nomination system back online and will continue to keep our shippers updated.” It remarked that the pipeline continued to function, and delivering petroleum goods all over its areas, as nominated from its shippers.
By the afternoon, around 3:00 PM, the company reported that the service was fully restored; also, with the processing systems of the pipeline. Consequently, disruptions were over. According to Daily News, the problem with the pipeline’s system was that shippers were unable to modify their orders.
Thirdly, Colonial Pipeline assured that they are with a continued effort to fully restore its supply chain. Therefore, they said operations of the pipeline were fully functional; however, the supply chain needed a few more days to fully catch up.
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Colonial Pipeline not the only one; midstream cyberattacks, rising trend
Moreover, the company said. “We can now report that we are transporting refined products (gasoline; also diesel and jet fuel) at normal levels and are fully operational.”
On the other hand, as we reported previously, the pipeline is one of the most important midstream assets in the U.S. It moves 2,5 million barrels of petroleum goods across eastern and also southern states, every day.
Furthermore, since May 12, the company reported normal operations after the cyberattack, led by a hacker group called DarkSide, according to the FBI. The attack infected the company’s network and asked for ransom. Indeed, the company paid $5 million.
Nevertheless, in fears that the infection could spread to their industrial operations computers; they shut down the pipeline, causing havoc on most of the country. On the other hand, executives said that cyberattacks to midstream assets in the U.S. are a rising trend and they represent a serious hazard for the American industry.
