Biden Cybersecurity agency lacks data on Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack

The Biden administration is struggling to find an effective, robust counter to the cyberattackers who have repeatedly caught the U.S.

Cybersecurity leadership selected by President Biden last month remains uninstalled, and a federal cyber agency said Tuesday that it does not yet have the information it needs to prevent further attacks such as the one that hit a major fuel pipeline last week.

The Colonial Pipeline shut down while working to overcome a ransomware attack, which involves malicious software holding data or computer systems hostage until victims pay the attackers in exchange for restored access.

The federal government has joined the company in trying to prevent a major gasoline shortage from the shutdown of the pipeline, which runs from Houston to New York and provides nearly half of all fuel consumed on the East Coast.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the federal civilian agency tasked with preventing and fighting cyberattacks, told the Senate that it is waiting to receive technical information necessary to protect others from similar attacks.

He said Colonial Pipeline did not contact his agency and likely would not have reached out if the FBI had not brought in the agency to assist with the response to the attack.

Alongside issues with information flow, the Biden administration is beleaguered with personnel problems.

Early indications suggest that five federal agencies were compromised in that hack, Mr.

Nine federal agencies were compromised through the hack of SolarWinds computer network management software that was publicly disclosed late last year.

Federal agencies are still working to recover from the intrusion.

The hacks look to have been espionage campaigns, and the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the SolarWinds hack.

The FBI has attributed the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack to DarkSide ransomware.

The cybercriminals behind the pipeline attack are believed to be in Eastern Europe, and the Biden administration said the attackers look to be a criminal crew instead of a government.

The White House said the administration is monitoring fuel supply shortages, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan waived vapor pressure rules on fuel sold in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia to solidify the supply of gas through May 18.

Mike Gallagher, Wisconsin Republican, wrote to appropriators that $400 million more was needed for CISA urgently on top of the $650 million the agency already collected

Portman said