Colonial Pipeline has no plans to pay ransom for files: report

Colonial Pipeline has no plans to pay the ransom after a cyberattack on their operations, two people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post on Wednesday.

The company is working with cybersecurity firm Mandiant to restore the data from the backup system, according to the report.

The hacking group behind the attack is thought to be based in Russia. The group appeared to have stolen data from Colonial, which it was purportedly preparing to use in a blackmail scheme. But Mandiant was able to trace the stolen data to a server owned by a New York-based firm, which quickly shut it down. 

Because of this, as well as due to Mandiant’s help in restoring some of the encrypted data, Colonial has no plans to pay the ransom, according to the Post.

Colonial Pipeline suffered the cyberattack on its energy infrastructure Friday, forcing it to shut down 5,500 miles of pipeline to contain the breach. 

A number of states in the southeast are experiencing gas shortages due to the cyberattack. 

The Hill has reached out to Colonial Pipeline and Mandiant for comment.