白宫周日与遭遇勒索软件网络攻击的美国最大燃油管道运营商Colonial Pipeline紧密合作，以帮助其恢复运营。攻击事件迫使该公司关闭了向人口稠密的东部各州供油的关键燃油网络。Colonial周五遭遇勒索软件网络攻击后，关闭整个管道系统。白宫发言人表示，美国总统拜登周六早上听取了关于此事的简报。这是有报告的最具破坏性的数字勒索事件之一，促使美国立法者要求加强对美国关键能源基础设施的保护，以防止遭受黑客攻击。受此次事件影响，美国汽油期货周日涨逾3%至每加仑2.217美元，为2018年5月以来最高。美国取暖油期货跳升至2020年1月以来的高点。美国商务部长雷蒙多(Gina Raimondo)表示，恢复管道运营是拜登政府的重中之重，华盛顿在帮助Colonial尽快重启其从德克萨斯州到新泽西州的超过5,500英里(8,850公里)的管道网络，来避免更严重的燃油供应中断。“现在，各方全力以赴，”雷蒙多在CBS的“面对国家”(Face the Nation)节目中说。“我们正在与该公司、州及地方官员密切合作，以确保他们能够恢复正常运营，消除供应中断。“Colonial周日表示，其主要燃料管线仍然关闭，但在终端和交付点之间的一些小型管线现在已恢复运作。雷蒙多和该公司周日都没有对重启日期给出预估，Colonial也未予进一步置评。Colonial每日从墨西哥湾沿岸炼厂向大西洋沿岸中部地区和美国东南部消费者输送约250万桶汽油等燃料。其广阔的管道网还为美国主要机场提供服务，包括全球客运量最大的亚特兰大哈兹菲尔德-杰克逊国际机场(Hartsfield Jackson Airport)。夏洛特道格拉斯国际机场(Charlotte Douglas International Airport)发言人表示，该机场目前有燃料储备，“正在密切关注这一情况”，并称其燃料供应来自另一家大型油管运营商和Colonial。美国汽车协会(American Automobile Association)等团体的燃料零售专家表示，本次中断若持续数日，可能对地区燃料供应造成严重影响，特别是美国东南部。Colonial管线关闭后最容易出现燃料短缺的几个州包括田纳西、乔治亚和马里兰州，这些州的州长办公室均未立即回复置评请求。虽然美国政府的调查仍处在初期阶段，但一位前美国官员和三位行业消息人士表示，怀疑黑客为一家名为DarkSide的专业网络犯罪团伙。DarkSide是众多使用勒索软件敲诈受害者的犯罪团伙之一，这些团伙侵入专用网络，使用软件加密文件，还经常盗取数据。
'All hands on deck' after pipeline hack -U.S. official
U.S. government officials were working closely with one of the nation's largest pipelines on Sunday to help it recover from a major ransomware cyberattack that forced the pipeline operator to shut a critical fuel network that supplies gas and jet fuel to the country's populous eastern states.
The attack is one of the most disruptive digital ransom operations reported and has prompted calls from American lawmakers to tighten protections for critical U.S. energy infrastructure against hackers.Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday said Washington was working to avoid more severe fuel supply disruptions and to help Colonial Pipeline restart its pipeline network as quickly as possible.RAIMONDO: "It's an all hands on deck effort right now and we are working closely with the company, state and local officials, to make sure that they get back up to normal operations as quickly as possible and there aren't disruptions in supply."Colonial transports roughly 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline and other fuels from refiners on the Gulf Coast to consumers in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States.While the government investigation is in the early stages, a former U.S. official and two industry sources said the hackers are likely a professional cybercriminal group and that a group called DarkSide was among potential suspects.
