Washington (AFP)
Colonial Pipeline, the operator of the American pipeline paralyzed by a cyberattack last weekend, announced on Saturday a return to normalcy of its operations with the delivery of "millions" of liters of gasoline to the service stations of 'part of the country, where the situation remains complicated.
"All the markets" of the operator, about fifteen states from Texas in the south to New Jersey in the northeast, are now supplied, he said in a message on Twitter.
Colonial Pipeline began Wednesday afternoon to restart operations on its 8,800 km pipeline network, the largest in the United States for refined products.
"We recognize the fundamental nature of our network for millions of Americans," added Colonial Pipeline, noting that it "safely delivers approximately 100 million gallons of fuel per day and approximately 36 billion gallons per year" ( one gallon is equal to 3.79 liters).
The cyberattack and the shutdown of the pipeline created panic among motorists, causing queues at gas stations and shortages in several cities.
According to data collected by the specialized site GasBuddy, the situation remained complicated Saturday in Washington, with 81% of stations in the federal capital short of fuel, as well as in North Carolina (68%) and South (46%) .
The normal supply of service stations may take "several weeks", estimated Thursday Patrick De Haan, analyst of the site.
As a result of the incident, the average price of gasoline at the pump rose above $ 3 a gallon for the first time since 2014, according to the AAA Automobile Association.
The attack on Colonial Pipeline, targeted by ransomware, or "ransomware", has revived the controversy over the lack of protection of companies essential for the country against which hacks have increased in recent years.
Colonial Pipeline defended itself on Saturday by claiming to have increased its investments in its information technology and cybersecurity programs "by more than 50% since 2017".
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday to improve cybersecurity in the United States.
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