Hacker group speaks out after the hack that shook the US energy industry

A cyberattack on the largest U.S. fuel system operator could have serious consequences, causing gas prices like gasoline to rise.
On May 10, DarkSide, the hacker group believed to be behind the attack on Colonial Pipeline, the company that operates the largest refined fuel pipeline in the US, posted a new statement.

According to the Vice , DarkSide’s message does not directly refer to the Colonial Pipeline attack, but is titled “Regarding the Latest News”. The group said its actions were unrelated to politics. The cyber attack on May 7 caused the Colonial Pipeline’s fuel pipeline system to stop working. Photo: Bloomberg. “We are a non-political group, not involved in geopolitics. Don’t tie us to a government or look for other motives… Our aim is to make money, not to cause problems for society,” a DarkSide representative wrote on a website belonging to the dark web. According to the Washington Post , some US officials believe that DarkSide is the hacker group behind the Colonial Pipeline attack. Also in the new statement, DarkSide said it will change the way it works and selects targets. “From today, we will examine and analyze each company that partners want to encrypt to avoid social consequences,” the group wrote. On May 7, Colonial Pipeline announced that it had to disconnect some systems after discovering it was “a victim of a cyber attack”. According to the Business Insider , this move caused more than 8,046 km of fuel pipes and some computer systems of Colonial Pipeline to stop working. In an updated statement on May 8, the company representative confirmed that the software used for the attack was in the form of ransomware, which encrypts files in the system and requires victims to pay if they want to get it. again. The company hired a cybersecurity firm to investigate the severity of the attack. The DarkSide hacker group spoke out after the alleged implementation of a cyber attack against the Colonial Pipeline. Photo: Motherboard. According to information on its website, Colonial Pipeline transports about 45% of all fuel consumed on the East Coast of the United States. On May 9, the company said that while the main pipelines are still closed, some smaller pipelines have been reactivated. In response to the incident, the US Department of Transportation has declared a state of emergency in 17 states and Washington to lift restrictions on carriers and drivers assisting in fuel shortages. The declaration of emergency will be in effect until the end of the state of affairs, or until 23:59 on June 8 (local time). After the Colonial Pipeline incident, gasoline prices in the US increased more than 3% to $2,217 per gallon – the highest price since May 2018. Experts warn that the price of gas raw materials may increase further if Colonial Pipeline does not reopen the pipeline in the next few days. How did the FBI hack the suspect’s iPhone? Cellebrite has invented a phone-cracking technology that makes it easier for the FBI to investigate.