Report: Russian criminal group may be responsible for Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack

A Colonial Pipeline facility in Linden, New Jersey.

A relatively new Russian criminal organization known as DarkSide may be behind the recent ransomware attack against the Colonial Pipeline, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News on Sunday.

Operated by the Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline Co., the Colonial Pipeline runs from Texas to New Jersey, transporting 45 percent of the East Coast's fuel supply. It was shut down on Friday after Colonial Pipeline learned it was the target of a ransomware attack, and on Sunday, the company said its main lines are still not operating and the full system will be "back online only when we believe it is safe to do so, and in full compliance with the approval of all federal regulations."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.