Californians Misunderstand $3 gas threat due to Pipeline shutdown

[Jimmy Higgins]

Poor Californians. They click CNN.com and see "US pipeline shutdown sparks worries of $3 gas" and start dancing.

Apparently the huge tax cuts under Trump didn't lead to cyber-security for institutions in the US who couldn't possibly afford getting hacked.

The Colonial Pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles and transports about 45% of all fuel consumed on the East Coast. It transports 2.5 million barrels per day of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil.

Colonial Pipeline Company said it was the victim of a cybersecurity attack that involved ransomware. In an update on Sunday, the company said that its four mainlines remain offline, but some smaller lines between terminals and delivery points are now operational. The pipeline's owners include Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA).

"We are in the process of restoring service to other laterals and will bring our full system back online only when we believe it is safe to do so, and in full compliance with the approval of all federal regulations," it added in a statement.

Our infrastructure apparently is as only secure as we want to pretend it to be. These attacks are problematic as you pretty much have to start from scratch server wise, and cleanse everything connected to the network as well. This takes time, you can go 24 hrs a day, but you can't force it any more than that.

 

[none]

dancing?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

dancing?

$3 gasoline in California? Hasn't been that cheap in a while.

 

[Gospel]

Yeah, anyone who google street view a California Gas stations to see the prices will be shocked (even Californians).

 

[TSwizzle]

It hasn't been ~$3 a gallon in California since about November 2020. Can't think what happened back in November 2020. In any event, since November 2020 gas has steadily risen and I see gas as high as $4.79 at some gas stations in the Los Angeles area.

 

[none]

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/05/09/why-californias-economy-needs-more-bad-news/

...
Hey, we all love paying less at the pump but such savings typically signal a weak economy.
California drivers paid $3.89 a gallon for regular gas in April, a 25% jump from December when we saw the cheapest year-end prices since the Great Recession days of 2009.

A global business recovery has ballooned demand for crude oil, gasoline’s key ingredient. Its price, by one benchmark, is up 29% so far in 2021.

So, pain at the pump, while bad for your budget, is actually good news.
...

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I just paid over $3/gal and I'm not even in California.

 

[thebeave]

Here in Silicon Valley, I've seen just a hair under $5/gal for the high octane, name brand gas. Hasn't broken the $5 barrier yet anywhere that I've seen, but I expect it won't be long.

 

[none]

fuck, I paid good money to not come to a complete stop.

 

[Gospel]

Here in Silicon Valley, I've seen just a hair under $5/gal for the high octane, name brand gas. Hasn't broken the $5 barrier yet anywhere that I've seen, but I expect it won't be long.

Meanwhile, Florida Man complains when it hits his 3.5 barrier.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Here in Silicon Valley, I've seen just a hair under $5/gal for the high octane, name brand gas. Hasn't broken the $5 barrier yet anywhere that I've seen, but I expect it won't be long.

Good news, I've read it is feared it'll go to $3 a gallon.

 

[Politesse]

I don't see cheap gas prices as a net benefit to society; it gives people the impression that they're getting something for nothing, but it's taxpayers who end up shouldering all the burdens of the oil and gas industry. Hidden costs are still costs.

 

[TomC]

I don't see cheap gas prices as a net benefit to society; it gives people the impression that they're getting something for nothing, but it's taxpayers who end up shouldering all the burdens of the oil and gas industry. Hidden costs are still costs.

Exactly.
Imagine what a gallon of gas would cost if the price included waste disposal. Instead of the current arrangements where vehicles have exhaust pipes and can just dump their waste on everyone without paying anything.

The energy industry would be very different without that huge subsidy.
Tom

 

[none]

I don't see cheap gas prices as a net benefit to society; it gives people the impression that they're getting something for nothing, but it's taxpayers who end up shouldering all the burdens of the oil and gas industry. Hidden costs are still costs.

Exactly.
Imagine what a gallon of gas would cost if the price included waste disposal. Instead of the current arrangements where vehicles have exhaust pipes and can just dump their waste on everyone without paying anything.

The energy industry would be very different without that huge subsidy.
Tom

yeah, it would be gay.

 

[ZiprHead]

First on CNN: US recovers millions in cryptocurrency paid to Colonial Pipeline ransomware hackers

Washington (CNN)US investigators have recovered millions in cryptocurrency they say was paid in ransom to hackers whose attack prompted the shutdown of the key East Coast pipeline last month, the Justice Department announced Monday.

The announcement confirms CNN's earlier reporting about the FBI-led operation, which was carried out with cooperation from Colonial Pipeline, the company that fell victim to the ransomware attack in question.

Specifically, the Justice Department said it seized approximately $2.3 million in Bitcoins paid to individuals in a criminal hacking group known as DarkSide. The FBI said it has been investigating DarkSide, which is said to share its malware tools with other criminal hackers, for over a year.

The ransom recovery, which is the first seizure undertaken by the recently created DOJ digital extortion taskforce, is a rare outcome for a company that has fallen victim to a debilitating cyberattack in the booming criminal business of ransomware.

But behind the scenes, the company had taken early steps to notify the FBI and followed instructions that helped investigators track the payment to a cryptocurrency wallet used by the hackers, believed to be based in Russia.

They broke into the wallet and took the money back

 

[Rhea]

But behind the scenes, the company had taken early steps to notify the FBI and followed instructions that helped investigators track the payment to a cryptocurrency wallet used by the hackers, believed to be based in Russia.

They broke into the wallet and took the money back

That is beautiful.

 

[ZiprHead]

But behind the scenes, the company had taken early steps to notify the FBI and followed instructions that helped investigators track the payment to a cryptocurrency wallet used by the hackers, believed to be based in Russia.

They broke into the wallet and took the money back

That is beautiful.

I guess it's not a good idea to keep your wallet online after ripping off millions.

 

[RVonse]

But behind the scenes, the company had taken early steps to notify the FBI and followed instructions that helped investigators track the payment to a cryptocurrency wallet used by the hackers, believed to be based in Russia.

They broke into the wallet and took the money back

That is beautiful.

This makes no sense to me. Why use a crypto currency for an illegal exchange if it is so easy for law enforcement to remedy the funds? And I'm not saying I do not think the FBI should have caught and refunded the ransom. I'm just wondering how these hackers could be so smart knowing how to hack and ransom an oil company yet so dumb not to receive their money using crypto currency (which is in itself supposed to be unhackable).

I smell bullshit.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

This was very welcomed news. This ransomware stuff needs to stop before it becomes a thing. It is happening all over America.

That is beautiful.

This makes no sense to me. Why use a crypto currency for an illegal exchange if it is so easy for law enforcement to remedy the funds? And I'm not saying I do not think the FBI should have caught and refunded the ransom. I'm just wondering how these hackers could be so smart knowing how to hack and ransom an oil company yet so dumb not to receive their money using crypto currency (which is in itself supposed to be unhackable).

I smell bullshit.

The thieves weren't that smart. They bought ransomware software from someone else and then dangled out a lot of phishing attempts. They randomly caught onto the energy company. Up to now, these ransomware people have been almost immune to any level of retribution. So they get sloppy. And the FBI managed to get the ransom back, which might have been the plan the whole time.

 

[Elixir]

Apparently they had been monitoring the actual keystrokes being executed by the Darkside group for a while. They simply walked in and emptied the wallet, taking a massive loss due to the decline of bitcoin value in the interim.