Tuesday, May 11, 2021
What does Russia have to do with it?
Pipeline Hacker: We’re about money
The hacker group “Darkside” claims to be behind the sabotage of a US pipeline on the Gulf Coast. However, the criminals do not want to be politically motivated and controlled by the Russian government: “Our goal is to make money,” they say.
After their attack on one of the most important fuel piping systems in the USA, the hacking group known as the “Darkside” spoke up on their website. “Our goal is to make money and not problems for society,” said the members in their statement. They added that they were apolitical and that observers should not associate them with any particular government. There was no indication in the statement of how much money the group is asking Colonial Pipeline. The hacking group has not yet responded to requests for comment on the case.
US President Joe Biden’s deputy national security advisor on cyber technologies, Anne Neuberger, said the intelligence services were checking to see if the hackers had ties to the Russian government. President Biden told reporters on Monday that although “so far” there was no evidence that the Russian government was involved, there was evidence that the “Darkside” group was being controlled from Russia. Russia therefore has “a certain responsibility” to intervene in the case.
Colonial Pipeline transports 2.5 million barrels of fuel per day from refineries on the Gulf Coast to eastern and southern states through its 8,850 kilometers of pipeline. Almost half of the US East Coast’s fuel supplies flow through these pipelines. The hacker attack paralyzed the pipeline on Friday. The company announced that the lines should essentially be functional again by the weekend.
The case had its first effects on the markets on Monday. The hacker attack drove up crude oil and gasoline prices, which could also be felt at German petrol stations. The Brent variety from the North Sea rose on Monday by up to 1.3 percent to 69.20 dollars per barrel (159 liters). The US oil WTI gained similarly strong up to 65.75 dollars.
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