![As of Friday morning in the United States, about 87 percent of fuel stations in Washington, DC were out of petrol or gasoline, while 42 percent were out in Maryland and 30 percent in Florida, according to retail tracker GasBuddy [File: Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gas.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
As Colonial Pipeline resumes deliveries, the US faces a roadblock: a dearth of drivers transporting petrol to stations.
Cybercrime
![Ransomware attacks are reaching 'epidemic' proportion, experts say [File: Kacper Pempel/Illustration/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/486fd83d1cdd405cbda46c8cda9f3bbf_18.jpeg?resize=570%2C380)
Leak ‘possibly the most significant ransomware incident to date’ due to threat to Washington, DC officers, expert says.
![US President Joe Biden speaks about the Colonial Pipeline shutdown at the White House [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-13-USA-PRODUCTS-COLONIALPIPELINE-BIDEN.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
US president urges Americans not to panic-buy fuel, warns against price-gauging and says shortages will ease soon
![Colonial, which operates the largest fuel pipeline in the United States, became aware of the hack around May 7 and shut down its operations, which led to fuel shortages and lines at gas stations along the East Coast [File: Jonathan Drake/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/pipeline-1.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
Colonial Pipeline Co paid nearly $5m to Eastern European hackers on Friday, sources tell Bloomberg News.
![This is not the first time Colonial has been forced to shut down. In 2016, an explosion kept the system offline for days, raising gasoline prices and forcing the New York Harbor market to become more dependent on imports of fuel from overseas [File: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/371709711.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Even with service restored, it will take about 2 weeks for gasoline in Houston to reach East Coast filling stations.
![Colonial Pipeline describes itself as the largest refined products pipeline in the US, responsible for transporting 2.5 million barrels per day of various grades of gasoline, diesel fuel, home heating oil, jet fuel and fuels for the US military along 5,500 miles of underground pipe [File: Chris Carlson/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AP21131624559974.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The job posting for Colonial Pipeline’s ‘manager of cybersecurity’ role was still live on its website on Wednesday.
![Even when the pipeline is restored to full service, it will take about two weeks for gasoline stored in Houston to reach East Coast filling stations, according to the most recent schedule sent to shippers [File: Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AP21131857822375.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Colonial Pipeline, the most important conduit for distributing US petrol, diesel and jet fuel, went offline May 7.
![Ships can serve as offshore tanks during unexpected oversupply situations [File: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/371652823.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Firms are chartering oil tankers for floating storage and to move gasoline, diesel, sending rates through the roof.
![Colonial Pipeline carries almost half the fuel consumed along the US east coast [File: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/371645837.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The closure will hurt fuel availability, push up prices and force refiners to cut production with no way to ship gas.
![The Colonial Pipeline, which transports fuel along the United States' East Coast, says it had to stop operations because it was the victim of a cyberattack and is now in contact with law enforcement and other federal agencies, including the US Department of Energy [File: Brynn Anderson/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/pipe1.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The cyberattack should serve as a wake-up call to companies about the vulnerabilities they face, experts say.
![Companies, government agencies, hospitals and school systems are among the victims of ransomware groups, some of which US officials say have friendly relations with nation-states including North Korea and Russia [File: Kacper Pempel/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2017-05-13T000000Z_742116757_RC1E8DB9AD90_RTRMADP_3_CYBER-ATTACK.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
New task force to focus on regulating cryptocurrencies to rein in hackers who collected almost $350m last year: Reuters.
![Facebook says hackers went after fewer than 500 targets, who were largely from China's Xinjiang region but primarily living abroad in countries including Turkey, Kazakhstan, the United States, Syria, Australia and Canada [File: Thomas White/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/fb.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Facebook says hackers used site to lure activists, journalists, dissidents to other ones containing links to malware.
![Peskov says the attack would amount to 'pure international cybercrime' [File: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/AP_21035524871058.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
A series of covert counterattacks are planned on Russian networks, NYT reported, prompting Moscow’s condemnation.
![While Microsoft released a patch last week to shore up flaws in its email software, the remedy still leaves open a so-called back door that can allow access to compromised servers [File: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020-12-21T205322Z_1555407862_RC2WRK9UDSV4_RTRMADP_3_SWISS-BUSINESS.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
White House official says threat to computer networks remains ‘active’ despite Microsoft software patch.