Ransomware hits near pre-Colonial Pipeline levels, data suggests


FILE PHOTO Holding tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at Colonial Pipelines Dorsey Junction Station in Woodbine Maryland U.S. May 10 2021. REUTERSDrone BaseFile Photo

FILE PHOTO: Holding tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at Colonial Pipeline's Dorsey Junction Station in Woodbine, Maryland, U.S. May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Drone Base/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Digital extortion attempts are returning to their pre-Colonial Pipeline levels, according to data and interviews with some incident responders, suggesting that the upheaval around the hack that paralyzed a major U.S. fuel conduit has yet to curb cybercriminals' appetite for ransoms.

Ransomware incidents are usually shrouded in secrecy, with victim companies and criminals alike eager to prevent the eye-watering extortion payments from becoming public. But indirect data suggests that the global publicity around the hack of Colonial Pipeline, which paralyzed the company for nearly a week and led to fuel shortages on the U.S. East Coast, did little or nothing to puncture the thriving industry.

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