Leading Republicans criticized President Biden about a cyber attack that had shut down most of America’s major oil pipeline by Monday evening.
The Colonial Pipeline, which saves about 45 percent of the fuel consumed on the east coast, halted operations last weekend after revealing a ransomware attack that it affected some of its systems. On Monday, the FBI identified a criminal syndicate named Darkside, the makers of the ransomware used in the attack. The group members are Russian-speaking, and their malware is coded to not attack the network using a Russian-language keyboard.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark), a member of the Senate’s Intelligence Committee, “No cyber-gang in Russia can carry out such an attack against critical infrastructure without clear or explicit knowledge of the Vladimir Putin government.” , “Fox News Primetime” reported Monday night. “This shows that Joe Biden’s weak policy on Russia has consequences for the American people.”
“When you give Russia a store, when you extend a nuclear weapons treaty that favors Russia in the United States, you allow Russia to build a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany, when you Vladimir Invites Putin to a summit … You Cotton said that Vladimir Putin and his ministers started such attacks on America.
“He [Biden] Vladimir once calls Putin a murderer, and he acts as if he were a strict man. Democrats have been beating their chests about Russia for the last four years, but as soon as Joe Biden took office, he once again returned to his weak, weak roots… We must take action against Russia immediately . To pull in its horns. “
White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger told reporters Monday that the Biden administration is not blaming any country for the cyber attack. Darkside itself posted a statement on its Dark Web site claiming that its purpose is “to make money, not to create problems for society.”
The Colonial Pipeline passes through 12 states between Texas and New Jersey and plays an important role in the transportation of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, and other petroleum products.
Former Texas Governor and Energy Secretary Rick Perry said the forced shutdown should serve as a “wake-up call” to President Biden to build more pipelines instead of closing them.
“I’m pretty sure that the Clinton administration, the Bush administration, the Obama administration, all worked to make America independent of the oil and gas of other countries,” Perry told Fox News’s “Hannity.” “And we did it under the Trump administration. We not only became independent, we became effective, and this administration wants to take that away and stop building pipelines. “
On the same program, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for legislation to increase cyber attacks to the same level as terrorist attacks.
“We should immediately pass a law, which makes such hacking the subject of capital punishment, and the law should include a provision that the president, through a judicial process, in ordering the killing of someone abroad Should be able to do that, “Gingrich said.” I mean, we’ve spent 15 years on defense now. We have no idea who they are, we don’t know where they are, and if we know Was who they were, then we would have no mechanism to do anything about it. A great country could not allow people to come in and sack it, it is of no consequence, and then the next attack Wait, and yet it literally means where we are right now. “
Colonial Pipeline announced late Monday that its Line 4, which runs from Greensboro, NC to Woodbine, MD, was operating under “manual control for a limited period”, while existing inventory is available … terminals. And some short lateral lines between delivery points. Still on. “
The company said service was expected to be restored “to a great extent” by the end of this week on the first Monday.
With post wires
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