The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has apologized on its website for its actions that disrupted U.S. fuel supplies after it accused hackers from Dark Side of hacking at U.S. Colonial Pipeline Corp., U.S. technology website The Verge reported Monday.
7, colonial pipeline company said it had shut down about 8,851 kilometers of pipeline it operated after the ransomware attack, greatly affecting fuel supplies on the U.S. East Coast. The Associated Press said it was the worst cyberattack yet on critical infrastructure in the United States.
The hacking group reportedly insisted that it had never planned to cause such a major damage to society and promised to scrutinise its targets in the future. It also stressed that it was not affiliated with any foreign Government and acted independently.
“We’re not interested in politics, we’re not engaged in geopolitical competition, we don’t need to bind us to specific governments, we don’t have to look for other motives. Our goal is to make money, not to create problems for society. Starting today, we will review each goal to avoid some social impact. ”
The closure of the pipeline triggered panic buying by drivers, with gas stations from Florida to Virginia in short supply and gasoline prices rising on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
U.S. President Joe Biden expects the pipeline to restart in a few days and urges drivers not to refuel more. “We’re asking people not to hoard energy, and things will soon return to normal,” U.S. Energy Secretary John Granholm told reporters at the White House.
Reuters said the incident highlighted the vulnerability of critical U.S. infrastructure to cyberattacks.
