The Colonial Pipeline, the top U.S. fuel pipeline operator, has shut down its entire network after being hit with a cyberattack, the company said in a statement on Friday.
Colonial, which says it transports roughly 45 percent of fuel consumed on the East Coast, became aware on Friday that it had fallen victim to a cyberattack and “took certain systems offline to contain the threat, which has temporarily halted all pipeline operations.”
The company said it has contacted federal agencies and law enforcement and is working with a third-party cybersecurity firm to manage the threat, which affected some of its IT systems.
“At this time, our primary focus is the safe and efficient restoration of our service and our efforts to return to normal operation,” the company said in a statement. “This process is already underway, and we are working diligently to address this matter and to minimize disruption to our customers.”
Colonial’s network supplies fuel from U.S. refiners on the Gulf Coast to the eastern and southern U.S., transporting some 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined products through 5,500 miles of pipelines.