Colonial Pipeline Paid the Ransom

Discussion in 'West Mall' started by Clean, May 14, 2021.

  1. Clean

    Clean 5,000+ Posts

    Reportedly they paid $5 million dollars in untraceable cryptocurrency to the hackers to free up their network!

    I hope Colonial goes out and hires some better cyber security people than they had because once the hackers spend the $5M on drugs and hookers they might just be paying Colonial another visit or, if they don’t, another group will.

    Colonial Pipeline gas shortages: $5M ransom reportedly paid
     
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  2. theiioftx

    theiioftx Sponsor Deputy

    Unless the federal government makes paying ransoms illegal, hacking for ransom will only increase. $5 million was cheap compared to what they stood to lose. If it is only a business decision, that was an easy call. Pisses me off.

    Our systems have not been hacked, but email scams have worked both internally and externally with customers. Penalties if caught should be the death penalty.

    As for a group in Russia, Biden should penalize Putin significantly until he turns them over. But we all know that isn’t happening.
     
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  3. Clean

    Clean 5,000+ Posts

    I’ve been working from home for over a year. I have a company owned laptop that’s just for email, the internet, and for connecting to my real work pc. My real work PC is what they call a PAWS machine, Protected Asset Work Station. It’s in a protected network. It takes entering my userid/password 3 times and three approvals from an app on my cell phone just to login to my work PC. From my paws machine, you can’t surf the net or read your email. You have to drop down to the laptop for that. If you don’t have any activity on the paws machine for a couple of minutes, say your talking on the phone, it locks up and you have to re-enter userid/pw and click approve on the cell phone again. I probably have to go through that process 15-20 times a day. It’s a frickin’ nightmare. I used to be able to log in with one usedId/pw and do whatever I wanted, but those days are long gone. All that security is to hopefully prevent what happened to Colonial.
     
  4. OUBubba

    OUBubba 5,000+ Posts

    If trump were in office Putin wouldn’t have let them do it.
     
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  5. OUBubba

    OUBubba 5,000+ Posts

    That’s the equivalent of wearing a mask. That’s some security.
     
  6. theiioftx

    theiioftx Sponsor Deputy

    Was Trump in office when it happened? Admit Biden’s team failed then Biden failed by shrugging his shoulders. The USA is once again weak against China, Russia and Mexico. But I know, no mean tweets!
     
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  7. humahuma

    humahuma 1,000+ Posts

    Yep the media would of blamed Trump for the hack.
     
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  8. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    Very easy decision. $5 million is nothing compared to what the downside was. Honestly I'm shocked they asked for so little. My guess is that when they first did the hacking and demanded the ransom, they didn't know how disruptive they'd actually be. They've even said that they only wanted money and had no intention of causing any real harm. Frankly, that's probably true to a point. My worry is that these guys may come back next year and ask for $500 million. If I was an immoral sack of **** who didn't mind running an extortion racket, that's what I'd do.
     
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  9. Horn6721

    Horn6721 10,000+ Posts

    I think there have been other big companies hacked who paid the ransom. Colonial won't be the last
     
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  10. mchammer

    mchammer 10,000+ Posts

    Yet it would cheaper than if government got involved like climate change regs, carbon tax etc.
     
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  11. OUBubba

    OUBubba 5,000+ Posts

    Is this all downstream of the solar winds back from Russia? An organization I know used solar winds and they were held ransom.
     
  12. iatrogenic

    iatrogenic 2,500+ Posts

    You can buy ransom ware insurance. Typically the insurer will send a portion of the ransom and require the extortionist to release a portion of the software ( if possible). That repeats until complete. Usually in Bitcoin. You can also buy business interruption insurance that would pay for lost income during the replacement process. For $500 million, Colonial could totally replace all hardware and software twenty times, so they’ll never pay that. They do need to fire their IT department.
     
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  13. AustinHorn24

    AustinHorn24 250+ Posts

    I hope the hackers come back and hit them again and this time demand 100 million.

    5 million is only 1% of their net income from last year.
     
  14. Horn2RunAgain

    Horn2RunAgain 2,500+ Posts

    Maybe you can hit em up for a few bucks so you can afford to sponsor here
     
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  15. AustinHorn24

    AustinHorn24 250+ Posts

    Why would I do that when I get to live rent free in your head?

    That's a lot more fun than sponsoring.
     
  16. Horn2RunAgain

    Horn2RunAgain 2,500+ Posts

    Sorry, I don't allow Section 8 tenants.
     
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  17. Monahorns

    Monahorns 5,000+ Posts

    This guy repeatedly shows himself to hate private property and citizen's rights. About the only thing he supports is use of government force, to either mandate behavior or shoot unarmed women in the throat.

    Now he shows himself against economic profit and for cutting the Eastern US from their most vital energy source.
     
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  18. mchammer

    mchammer 10,000+ Posts

    Mr **** show is apparently okay with Russian pipelines while cancelling US ones.

     
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  19. horninchicago

    horninchicago 10,000+ Posts

    Of course. The "Globalist" left, which calls Global Warming global, doesn't seem to have any concern with pipelines breaking and ruining the environment globally and the effects on those people. But, they are Globalists.
     
  20. horninchicago

    horninchicago 10,000+ Posts

    His ideals are those of a lunatic, quite honestly. But, he's a Covid and vaccine and mask expert. Just ask him. Or don't, he'll tell you anyway.
     
  21. humahuma

    humahuma 1,000+ Posts

    Wait Biden kill the pipeline deal in the US but lifting sanctions on corporation constructing a Russian pipeline going into Germany?
     
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  22. iatrogenic

    iatrogenic 2,500+ Posts

    He's also a "Doctor".:rolleyes1:
     
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  23. Mr. Deez

    Mr. Deez Beer Prophet

    Wait, I thought Democrats didn't like Russia and were tough on them. Is Putin a good guy now? And if so, will Musberger turn on him?
     
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  24. iatrogenic

    iatrogenic 2,500+ Posts

    So the Biden administration is strongly against the pipeline, and strongly against Russia, but does absolutely nothing to stop the project.
     
  25. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    Like all democrats they are all full of hot air.
     
  26. Horn6721

    Horn6721 10,000+ Posts

    Waiting for someone to defend this.
     

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