The Colonial hack – How cyber-attackers shut off the pipeline

Investigators are working at the largest fuel pipeline in the US to recover from a devastating cyber-attack that cuts the oil flow.

The hack on Colonial Pipeline is considered one of the most significant attacks on critical national infrastructure in history.

The pipeline transports nearly half of the fuel supplies of the east coast. If the outage lasts longer, experts are expecting a rise in prices.

How can a pipeline be hacked?

For a lot of people, the oil industry’s image is one of the pipes, greasy black liquid, and pumps.

In reality, the type of modern operation Colonial Pipeline is highly digital.

Thermostats, Pressure sensors, pumps, and valves are used for monitoring and controlling the flow of petrol, jet fuel, and diesel across hundreds of miles of piping.

Colonial also has a high-tech robot called smart pig that goes through its pipes and check for anomalies.

A central system connects all this operational technology. Cyber-expert from CheckPoint Jon Niccolls explained that there is always a high risk of cyber-attack where there is connectivity.

He said that, instead of people, computers control all the devices that run a modern pipeline.

He added that the pipeline is vulnerable to malicious attacks if they have a connection to an internal network of the organization. This is how they get hit with cyber-attacks.

How exactly did the hackers break into the system?

Experts say that on operational technology, direct attacks are rare because this kind of system is usually better protected.

So it’s more logical that through the administrative side of the business, the hackers managed to gain access to Colonial’s computer system.

Mr. Niccolls said that some of the most significant attacks they had seen all started with an email. As an example, he said that somebody might have tricked an employee easily into downloading some malware. He added that they have also seen recent examples of hackers getting in using third-party software weaknesses or compromise. Niccolls claims that hackers will use any chance to gain access to a network.