Cyberattack on US pipeline is linked to criminal gang

A file photo showing traffic on I-95 passing oil storage tanks owned by the Colonial Pipeline Company in Linden, New Jersey. A major pipeline that transports fuels along the East Coast says it had to stop operations because it was the victim of a cyberattack. — AP

NEW YORK: The cyberextortion attempt that has forced the shutdown of a vital US pipeline was carried out by a criminal gang known as DarkSide that cultivates a Robin Hood image of stealing from corporations and giving a cut to charity, two people close to the investigation said on May 9.

The shutdown, meanwhile, stretched into its third day, with the Biden administration loosening regulations for the transport of petroleum products on highways as part of an “all-hands-on-deck” effort to avoid disruptions in the fuel supply.