Pipeline operators can deliver normally again

After the hacker attack on a US pipeline operator, the situation has returned to normal, according to the company. Pipeline operators can deliver normally again. As Colonial Pipeline, based in the state of Georgia on Twitter, announced that two days after the resumption of fuel supply, "millions of gallons per hour are being delivered to the markets" again. Nevertheless, numerous gas stations in the eastern United States were still without fuel. Colonial Pipeline was targeted by an extortion trojan last week. The largest pipeline in volume in the United States, which runs from Houston, Texas to the New York area, was temporarily shut down. This led to supply shortages in states like Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland. Some governors declared a state of emergency - which seemed to induce many drivers to buy hamsters. In view of the supply bottlenecks, the national average of gasoline prices rose to more than three dollars (around 2.50 euros) per gallon for the first time since 2014. The US authorities have blamed the hacker group Darkside for the cyber attack. The attackers used what is known as ransomware. With this kind of malware, hackers try to lock or encrypt computer systems and extort money from users for releasing the data. According to media reports, Colonial Pipeline paid around five million dollars (4.1 million euros) in ransom. On Thursday, the company resumed supplying customers with fuel, but emphasized that it could take some time for the situation to normalize.