On the day of the attack, the largest U.S. oil pipeline operator paid a huge ransom to hackers

May 13 2021 Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. oil pipeline operator, paid nearly $5 million in ransom to eastern European hackers on Friday, two people familiar with the matter said. People familiar with the matter also said that within hours of the attack, The company paid the huge ransom in untraceable cryptocurrencies.

Colonial was forced to shut down its key fuel network in the eastern coastal states of the United States on Friday (May 7) after a ransomware attack. To this end, on May 9, local time, the United States declared a state of emergency.