What is Colonial Pipeline?
Colonial Pipeline operates the largest gas pipeline system in the United States.
Its services extend over 5,500 miles stretching from Texas to New Jersey.
It transports around 100 million gallons of fuel per day including gasoline, diesel, and heating oil.
Seven airports get their jet fuel directly from Colonial Pipeline.
Nearly 45% of USA’s east coast including New York, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas get their fuel from Colonial Pipeline.
How did the ransomware attack happen?
One leaked password.
Yes, you read that right. The attack vector was a single leaked password to an active VPN account that was no longer in use. Since multi-factor authentication was not enforced, the hackers only needed the username and the breached password to infiltrate Colonial Pipeline’s network.
Following the ransomware attack, Colonial Pipeline took its systems offline to contain the threat. This, in turn, led to panic-buying, shortages, and the highest spike in fuel prices since 2014. read more here