Tag Archive for: sparks

Pipeline hack sparks scramble for new delivery routes

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By Cathy Busewitz, Ben Finley and Tom Foreman, Jr. | Associated Press

CLEMMONS, N.C. — Drivers waited in long lines at gas stations in the Southeast on Wednesday after a hack of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline led to distribution problems and panic-buying, draining supplies at thousands of gas stations.

There is no gasoline shortage, according to government officials and energy analysts. But there is a problem getting the fuel from refineries on the Gulf Coast to the states that need it, and officials are scrambling to find alternate routes to deliver that fuel.

If the pipeline shutdown extends past the weekend, it could create broader fuel disruptions.

The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, was hit on Friday with a cyberattack by hackers who lock up computer systems and demand a ransom to release them. The attack raised concerns, once again, about the vulnerability of the nation’s critical infrastructure.

The pipeline runs from the Gulf Coast to the New York metropolitan region, but states in the Southeast are more reliant on the pipeline. Other parts of the country have more sources to tap. For example, a substantial amount of fuel is delivered to states in the Northeast by massive tankers.

“What you’re feeling is not a lack of supply or a supply issue. What we have is a transportation issue,” said Jeanette McGee, spokeswoman for the AAA auto club. “There is ample supply to fuel the United States for the summer, but what we’re having an issue with is getting it to those gas stations because the pipeline is down.”

Jamar Gatison, 36, was filling up his tank in Norfolk, Virginia, Wednesday before a doctor’s appointment.

“I’m about to run out of gas, so I have no choice,” the construction worker said while waiting in line at a 7-Eleven. “I’m also an Uber Eats driver. I also need gas for that,” Gatison said, adding that he probably won’t deliver food Wednesday night because he doesn’t want to wait in line again while the shortage continues.

In North Carolina, 28% of gas stations were out of fuel, according to Gasbuddy.com, a technology firm that tracks real-time fuel prices across the…

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Data Incident Sparks Cybersecurity Investment in Meadville, Pa.

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(TNS) — In October, when Meadville City Council unanimously approved more than doubling what the city was spending on computer security and network management, City Manager Andy Walker said the investment was worth it given “the constant headlines with respect to cyberattacks and ransomware and malware.”

“We just found ourselves in a position of vulnerability that was uncomfortable and I think we really need to beef up our efforts,” Walker said. “We have underinvested for quite some time in our network.’

The next day, Walker’s forecast proved prescient when city staff learned of what Walker termed a “data incident.”

At council’s most recent meeting last week, Walker disclosed the incident that led to city computers being shutdown to external access for several days.

Staff implemented an immediate shutdown of the city’s computer network on Oct. 8, one day after council unanimously approved a contract with Hagan Business Machines of Meadville Inc. to replace Coppola Enterprises Inc. as the city’s information technology consultant, Walker told council last week.

“We had to shut down our server and our network and our email to the outside world,” he said. “The general public wasn’t impacted. There were no safety concerns — radio and telephone communications were operable.”

City staff were unable to access email for three or four days during the shutdown, according to Walker.

The incident involved “suspicious traffic data leaving our server,” Walker said.

Further investigation revealed that no city data had been compromised and the incident did not qualify as a “data breach” involving the capture of personal information, nor was the city required to notify any individuals or agencies regarding the incident.

Council then unanimously ratified payment of $12,800 for Hagan’s response to the incident as well as an additional…

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Lack of security cameras along Dauphin Street in Downtown Mobile sparks concern – NBC 15 WPMI

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Lack of security cameras along Dauphin Street in Downtown Mobile sparks concern  NBC 15 WPMI
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Viral FaceApp tool that ‘aged’ countless athletes sparks security concern from U.S. senator

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D, New York) wrote a letter Wednesday night expressing concern that the mobile app FaceApp “could pose national security … off from the internet, here …
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