Colonial Pipeline

Colonial Pipeline decided to pay a $4.4 million ransom to the DarkSide criminal group in May 2021. CEO Joe Blount defended the payment, emphasizing the critical nature of the pipeline’s fuel supply to the East Coast. The decision was made because the costs or impacts were so severe that the organization would not survive without paying the ransom.

Source: https://cybersecuritynews.com/ransomware-negotiation/

TPRM report: https://scoringcyber.rankiteo.com/company/colonial-pipeline-company

"id": "col840060225",
"linkid": "colonial-pipeline-company",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "6/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Energy',
                        'location': 'East Coast, USA',
                        'name': 'Colonial Pipeline',
                        'type': 'Company'}],
 'date_detected': '2021-05-01',
 'description': 'Colonial Pipeline faced a ransomware attack in May 2021, '
                'which led to the payment of a $4.4 million ransom to the '
                'DarkSide criminal group. The incident highlighted the '
                'emerging practice of professional negotiation with '
                'cybercriminals and the complexities involved.',
 'impact': {'financial_loss': '$4.4 million',
            'operational_impact': 'Disruption of fuel supply to the East Coast',
            'systems_affected': 'Pipeline fuel supply systems'},
 'lessons_learned': 'Negotiation with cybercriminals should only be considered '
                    'when the costs or impacts are unacceptable or '
                    'un-survivable. Professional negotiation services can help '
                    'reduce ransom demands and buy time for recovery efforts.',
 'motivation': 'Financial Gain',
 'ransomware': {'ransom_demanded': '$4.4 million',
                'ransom_paid': '$4.4 million',
                'ransomware_strain': 'DarkSide'},
 'recommendations': 'Organizations should invest in comprehensive backup '
                    'systems, incident response planning, and cybersecurity '
                    'measures rather than relying on negotiation as a primary '
                    'defense strategy.',
 'references': [{'source': 'Cyber Incident Description'}],
 'response': {'third_party_assistance': 'Professional negotiators'},
 'threat_actor': 'DarkSide criminal group',
 'title': 'Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack',
 'type': 'Ransomware Attack'}