Cybersecurity Experts Warn Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack Is No Anomaly

Energy infrastructure experts say fuel shipments should return to normal in Atlanta by this weekend. That’s after a ransomware attack shut down Alpharetta-based Colonial Pipeline’s vital fuel artery last week.

But those who study critical infrastructure and cybersecurity say the coronavirus pandemic has already left the energy industry vulnerable.

University of North Georgia computer science professor Bryson Payne directs UNG’s Center for Cyber Operations Education. He told WABE’s “All Things Considered” producer Lily Oppenheimer that Colonial Pipeline was forced to pay its attackers a ransom — called a “double-extortion” attack.