While the effects of this hack were dire, the type of attack was not new or unique in any way. The attack drew new government attention to the surge in ransomware attacks and spurred President Joe Biden to sign an executive order Wednesday, with an aim to strengthen its cyberdefenses. It appears as if DarkSide, like most attackers, was motivated by financial gain rather than compromising America's supply of gas. Ransomware attacks like this are common, but they typically don't aim to knock infrastructure offline. While the episode has laid bare how vulnerable America's critical infrastructure is to cybercriminals, it does not mean we're suddenly facing a new risk of widespread shutdowns. Gasoline price hikes and shortages were reported across the U.S., though the supply crunch is likely more to do with panic buyers heading to the pump than the attack itself. Colonial paid nearly $5 million as a ransom to unlock its systems, a sourced familiar with the situation told CNBC, confirming earlier reports. The federal government issued an emergency declaration for 17 states and the District of Columbia after the country's largest fuel pipeline went down. Whatever the motivation, the impact was real. Signs point to this being a case of a bungled extortion plot, rather than the coordinated work of hackers intent on compromising America's energy grid. The FBI says that DarkSide, a group relatively new to the ransomware scene, is behind the attack.
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