Colonial Pipeline Paid Almost $5M Crypto Ransom Soon After Attack: Report
Colonial Pipeline paid almost $5 million in ransom to allegedly Eastern European hackers, contrary to reports the company had no intention of doing so.
The private company paid the ransom in “untraceable cryptocurrency” to restore functionality to the U.S.’ largest pipeline, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported Thursday.
The sum was paid within hours of the attack to the hackers, identified by the FBI as having links to the DarkSide group, according to Bloomberg’s report.
While “untraceable cryptocurrency” may point to a privacy coin like monero being used, CNN reported Wednesday the ransomware group had demanded payment in bitcoin.
Colonial Pipeline resumed operations Wednesday, meaning petroleum could begin reaching five states in the East Coast region, including Florida and Georgia.
See also: ‘Panda’ Malware Targets Crypto Wallets and Users’ Discord, Telegram Accounts
