Colonial Pipeline Confirms Personal Information Impacted in Ransomware Attack

Colonial Pipeline has started sending out notification letters to inform more than 5000 people that their personal information was compromised in a ransomware attack earlier this year.

The attack, which took place in May 2021, involved the Darkside ransomware and resulted in the Georgia-based company temporarily shutting down operations and paying $5 million to the attackers to recover stolen information. Most of the money was recovered, the US announced in June.

In a notification letter sent to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, Colonial Pipeline said that personal information belonging to 5,810 people was compromised in the attack.

“On May 6, 2021, an unauthorized third party acquired certain records stored in our systems,” the company said in the letter.

[ Related: Colonial Pipeline CEO Explains $4.4 Million Ransomware Payment ]

The compromised information, the company says, includes names, birth dates, contact information, driver’s license information, Social Security numbers, government-issued ID (such as military ID and tax ID), as well as health-related information, health insurance information included.

The amount of impacted information, however, varies for each impacted individual, the company says.

The attack on Colonial Pipeline showed not only that hackers are increasingly targeting critical infrastructure for their personal gain, but also that they continue to engage in double extortion, stealing data from their victims to force them into paying a ransom.

Related: Advanced Technology Ventures Discloses Ransomware Attack

Related: University of San Diego Health Says Personal Information Stolen in Data Breach

Related: IBM: Average Cost of Data Breach Exceeds $4.2 Million