Cyber Attack on Major Gasoline Pipeline

Well, if gas isn't high enough....

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/cyberattack-forces-shutdown-largest-fuel-pipeline-united-states

YT link in the comments seem to indicate this was predicted:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhSi2K7uuQ8&feature=youtu.be

I know some follow IceAgeFarmer.

There are some post on this under threats to our food supply.

Blondie, I think this is just the beginning of bigger things to come.

I know a little about this industry. For those who don't know this is a shortened simple version of how gas gets to your station.

There are some major refining areas mostly along the coastal areas and Gulf.  If you live near a refinery then local trucks just load fuel there and deliver within a 200-300 mile radius to gas stations.

If you don't live near a refinery then most of the fuel gets transported from the refinery to storage terminals via pipeline. Many of the pipelines are hundreds or thousands of miles long. At these regional terminals is where local trucks fill up and deliver to gas stations within a 200-300 mile radius.


The absolute vast majority of fuel is hauled by day cab tractors that start and end at the same terminal every day with the drivers typically working 10-16 hours a day.  

Very few over the road long haul trucks haul fuel. If they do it's to a very remote location.

This is compounding upon a truck driver shortage increasing in magnitude.

Drink, one of the commentors I respect on ZH mentioned Cushing, OK may be a future target?

I'm in the dark, there.

There is a HUGE Marathon/Speedway refinery just south of Detroit near the Ambassador Bridge to Canada. Close enough to I-75 that you can spit on a storage tank from the freeway.

The end of March I had all my tanks filled up as the prices were starting to go up.

Oil tank filled, 2 - 275 gallon tanks
Diesel take filled 1 - 275 gallon tank
Gas take filled 1 - 275 gallon tank

I'm good for about 2 years on the diesel and gas. And about 10 years for heating oil.

Blondie wrote:Drink, one of the commentors I respect on ZH mentioned Cushing, OK may be a future target?

I'm in the dark, there.

There is a HUGE Marathon/Speedway refinery just south of Detroit near the Ambassador Bridge to Canada. Close enough to I-75 that you can spit on a storage tank from the freeway.

Looked it up. It's a major pipeline storage and transfer hub.

Drink, I did some reading after your post.

This says a lot:

https://1lvsv110hy4z48o1ve2jv19z-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Cushing-OK-e1588946430883.jpg

Blondie wrote:Drink, I did some reading after your post.

This says a lot:

https://1lvsv110hy4z48o1ve2jv19z-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Cushing-OK-e1588946430883.jpg

Just go to a Google earth satellite view on the south side of the town to get a better idea

Blondie wrote:...
YT link in the comments seem to indicate this was predicted:
...

Well, of course, most of us, in here, have acknowledged that a cyber attack on our infrastructure isn't a matter of if it will happen, but simply of when. What might have been overlooked is, what exactly is considered "infrastructure."

A ""viral" statement, back before the "Web" was a thing, someone said:

You know you have Networks, when you can't do your work, because a computer you never heard of, is down.

rick1 wrote:There are some post on this under threats to our food supply.
Blondie, I think this is just the beginning of bigger things to come.

Dave58 wrote:Well they have tried the Electric in California , the drinking water in Florida and now the gas along the east coast...
The next time will be a combination of the three or maybe all three.....
Just my thoughts

We do not know, from which direction the attacks will come.
We only know that there will be more attacks.

I am resurrecting an old byline, I used in the late 90's and before the Trump Years:

If you aren't recovering from a disaster, you need to be preparing for the next one.

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:I know a little about this industry. For those who don't know this is a shortened simple version of how gas gets to your station.

There are some major refining areas mostly along the coastal areas and Gulf.  If you live near a refinery then local trucks just load fuel there and deliver within a 200-300 mile radius to gas stations.

If you don't live near a refinery then most of the fuel gets transported from the refinery to storage terminals via pipeline. Many of the pipelines are hundreds or thousands of miles long. At these regional terminals is where local trucks fill up and deliver to gas stations within a 200-300 mile radius.


The absolute vast majority of fuel is hauled by day cab tractors that start and end at the same terminal every day with the drivers typically working 10-16 hours a day.  

Very few over the road long haul trucks haul fuel. If they do it's to a very remote location.

This is compounding upon a truck driver shortage increasing in magnitude.

Thanks for writing this down. Those of us who have studied infrastructure for years, forget that this isn't well known.

I was reading about different cyber attacks in the U.S. and one link said that we have a cyber attack on average of every 39 seconds, each day.

It's just a matter of time, that the right combination, by somebody, and everything will turn to a pile of cramp.  

And 72 hours in, the pipeline isn't back online yet. Causing market futures to climb.

Color me stunned that they're aiming for $4.25 a gallon, again.
Just before Memorial Day as some travel is picking up.

And as of 9pm, the WH has issued an emergency order to the DOT allowing more flexibility for truckers that haul fuel:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021

Since all is well in America, I'm hitting the sack

Blondie wrote:And as of 9pm, the WH has issued an emergency order to the DOT allowing more flexibility for truckers that haul fuel:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021

Since all is well in America, I'm hitting the sack

IMO that's a bad early warning sign

.gov doesn't move quickly on issues like this so for them to already be waiving the hours of service laws is not a good indicator. That leads me to suspect this won't be resolved immediately and they are concerned about fuel shortages

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:

Blondie wrote:And as of 9pm, the WH has issued an emergency order to the DOT allowing more flexibility for truckers that haul fuel:
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/esc-ssc-wsc-regional-emergency-declaration-2021-002-05-09-2021
Since all is well in America, I'm hitting the sack

IMO that's a bad early warning sign

.gov doesn't move quickly on issues like this so for them to already be waiving the hours of service laws is not a good indicator. That leads me to suspect this won't be resolved immediately and they are concerned about fuel shortages

If I read it right, it exempts them from a host of other regulations, in addition to Hours of Service.

You are right, I am (and they are) expecting massive fuel shortages, from Atlanta, North to New York. I think there are other means to deal with it in TN, MS, and AL, but beyond that, we just don't have the Rail Cars and Trucks to move that much petroleum. (We were already short of drivers.)

The first effects are beginning

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-fuel-sellers-scramble-alternatives-014304375.html

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:[That leads me to suspect this won't be resolved immediately and they are concerned about fuel shortages

Gas stations begin to run out of fuel after cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline
https://www.tech-gate.org/usa/2021/05/11/gas-stations-begin-to-run-out-of-fuel-after-cyberattack-on-colonial-pipeline/

We're also making the news in the UK:

Gas runs out after Colonial Pipeline cyberattack: North Carolina declares state of emergency as cars line up outside stations in Virginia, Atlanta and Florida and American Airlines adds extra stops to long haul flights
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9564219/Gas-stations-begin-run-fuel-cyberattack-Colonial-Pipeline.html

Fox news just report that there are 1,000 gas stations closed now, out of gas.

Larry Kudlow on Hannity said this is the beginning of the malware hack, Israel/Palestine conflict, stock market, Biden being tested and failing terribly, etc..

Listen to the video:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/larry-kudlow-cyber-hacking-of-the-colonial-pipeline-and-hamas-shooting-war-on-israel-are-linked

The US is printing cash like crazy and the last time Biden was in office it seems we gifted $400 Million to the Iranians.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A5SQoC4_qLQ

So Putin advancing on Ukraine, border surging with ejected migrants, ransomware attack on our pipeline.......

Sending USD seems to be his only answer.

This is another real world example of how fragile our supply chain is and how vulnerable it is to disruption.

Our modern supply chain is the most streamlined and efficient it has ever been. But it is effective because it relies on long range forecasts, just in time deliveries and a well coordinated plan. If say you lose a small portion of supply and increase a small portion of demand you might create a panic. Once there are rumors of shortages it will amplify the problem because then people will start to panic panic buy. At this point a small problem has now compounded into a big problem and will be magnified.

Our supply chain isn't designed to handle a sudden and prolonged surge in demand.

See examples;
Ammo
Toilet paper
Fuel


If this pipeline isn't back on line by the end of the week it's going to have non stop media coverage and it will generate real panic. People will start running out of fuel by then, will not be able to go to work. Etc..  you will start to see 2nd and 3rd order effects.

There never was a toilet paper shortage it was a prolonged period of panic buying. It was merely a surge in demand.

Airlines will need contingencies to get fuel in the affected region.
School buses and municipal transportation may start running out of their own storage. Regional truckers will run out of fuel storage. Trucks will have a harder time moving goods.

Refineries may need to start shutting down or reducing production once their local storages are full and they can't use pipelines to move their products.

Once refineries shut down that will affect plastics and petroleum based companies, asphalt producers, they will all have a harder time making their products.  

CO2 producers will lose their feedstock bit will create a CO2 shortage which will affect the food and beverage producers.

Etc

Etc


Everything is tied in together.

Just wait until the physical fighting starts over the different shortages we're about to face.

OMG, the sky is falling!!!!!!!!!!!

God save the king.

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:

If this pipeline isn't back on line by the end of the week it's going to have non stop media coverage and it will generate real panic. People will start running out of fuel by then, will not be able to go to work. Etc..  you will start to see 2nd and 3rd order effects.

(SNIP)

Everything is tied in together.

It all feels VERY deliberate. VERY calculated. Seems strange how we were just starting to get out and about and then this happens. PLUS the chaos you're writing about above.

I'm becoming extraordinarily cynical anymore. I suspect everything.

Dave58 wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/02/canada-enbridge-line-5-whitmer-michigan/

They are now worried about it after 70 years.

The demonrats just love to start a controversy and in this version of the circus, is head clown whitmer.

ReadyMom wrote:

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:

If this pipeline isn't back on line by the end of the week it's going to have non stop media coverage and it will generate real panic. People will start running out of fuel by then, will not be able to go to work. Etc..  you will start to see 2nd and 3rd order effects.

(SNIP)

Everything is tied in together.

It all feels VERY deliberate. VERY calculated. Seems strange how we were just starting to get out and about and then this happens. PLUS the chaos you're writing about above.

I'm becoming extraordinarily cynical anymore. I suspect everything.

As you should be.


Think of it like this. People are losing their covid panic so perhaps the gov is looking for a new way to control the population and distract us.


Or,

What better way to push a green new deal? Look we can't depend on this type of energy anymore. We need electric vehicles, wind and solar now!

Dave, the Enbridge controvery is a hot one up here. The Straits are 5 miles wide and if this pipeline is shut, it will close off the Upper Peninsula from their primary sources of natural gas and propane. Again, prices will skyrocket.

I think Rick called high gas prices by summer about a month ago. Seems we aren't getting there fast enough.

We were just notified that beginning June 1 - Sept 30, electricity rates will jump to 150% of the current price for usage from 2-7pm.

But, but.......it's only "transitory" hyperinflation.

rick1 wrote:

Dave58 wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/02/canada-enbridge-line-5-whitmer-michigan/

They are now worried about it after 70 years.
The demonrats just love to start a controversy and in this version of the circus, is head clown whitmer.

Link to article that doesn't require sign in.
https://www.9and10news.com/2021/05/12/enbridge-continues-line-5-operations-as-deadline-nears/

Blondie wrote:Dave, the Enbridge controvery is a hot one up here. The Straits are 5 miles wide and if this pipeline is shut, it will close off the Upper Peninsula from their primary sources of natural gas and propane. Again, prices will skyrocket.

There is a lawsuit pending. That should buy some time, but this was announced 180 (175?) days ago, so people should have been taking action before now. I would have spent every dollar I could lay my hands on, buying up more propane tanks and filling them. Either that, or invest in a wood (or coal) stove, and about 10 cords of wood.

Rep. Jack Bergman
4 hrs ·
Today is the day Governor Whitmer has ordered Line 5 to cease operations.

It’s almost ironic that as our entire Nation is focusing on the Colonial pipeline shutdown by hackers, here in Michigan, our government is the one using coercion and force to shut down this pipeline - which will similarly cause shortages and price increases, especially for natural gas.

Our highest priority is protecting our water - it’s our lifeblood. But this decision is nothing short of allowing radical politics to guide important decisions, with no real plan in place.

There are real life implications to shutting down this line with no alternative and the Governor failed to take this into consideration.

It isn't entirely Gov Whitmer's fault. As I read things, this a commercial pipeline, and it is 70 years old. That is pretty old, for a pipeline, and plans to replace it should have been in progress. Or am I misreading this? Who is responsible for that pipeline? Someone should be kicking down the owner's door.

But, but.......it's only "transitory" hyperinflation.

Technically "Hyper Inflation is multiple months in excess of 50% inflation per month. If prices rise 50% ( to 150% of former), it isn't hyperinflation. It is just really painful.

I think this pipeline was built about the same time the Mackinac Bridge was built. Owned by Enbridge, a Canadian firm.

The UP in most areas is sparsely populated and remote. You can drive 10-20 miles and not see a home or business so it's never been fully serviced by natural gas. If they shut the pipeline, natural gas and liquid propane would have to be trucked in from either WI or below the bridge. There are many times the bridge is shut for poor weather conditions. Here, people downstate work M-F and everyone with a pulse heads for their camp in the UP on the weekends.

I'll consider the grow all my own food as soon as I get off work.

So I'm personally seeing some effects of the shortages.

There are now some Drivers for the company I work for (I work in logistics for a major corporation) are running out of gas for their personal vehicles and are having trouble getting into work. So because they can't get into work they aren't able to drive trucks that deliver critical products.

Curious to see what tomorrow and the weekend brings

Pipeline is open:

https://www.foxbusiness.com/energy/colonial-pipeline-back-online-energy-secretary-says

Sounds like some truckers didn't plan ahead for a way to work, but then, only about 3% of us plan that way.

The foxbusiness article linked above didn't say how many hours the pipeline was down. I would expect recovery to take about twice as many hours as it was down. My best guess was that it was down for 100 hours, so about 200 hours to recover means things should be "normal" in about 8 days.

That means back to denying that anything like that could ever happen. Normal.

Well, it seems that the $4 million ransom was paid to get the pipe line going again. They say the company paid it, but I bet my last dollar that the government will reimburse them.

Now, just my opinion, I think this was a test run by a foreign entity, most likely Russia, to see if it would be worth to take down the power grid, in the middle of next winter.

What's your opinion??????

Dave, it's just a matter of time and a few key strokes away from happening.

I sure hope I'm wrong.

There are other simpler kinetic ways to inflict damage on our infrastructure.

I'm sure many of you heard about this but perhaps for some you haven't take a few minutes to read up on this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack

This happened years ago. From what I've read if 6-7 coordinated and trained teams hit 6-7 critical transfer stations simultaneously the western interconnect would have been taken down for perhaps up to a year or longer.

Even worse, the perpetrators have still never been caught.

This was clearly a learning exercise for someone.



The point is simply this, there are very real and credible threats to our infrastructure and some you don't need to be a computer scientist to pull off....

Be prepared for any number of contingencies because sooner or later it's going to happen.

It will either happen because the .gov wants it to so they can crack down on a group or push an agenda or as part of a new "gray warfare" between another nation state or organization.

I remember that Drink.

Last I heard was that it was a couple of ticked off employees that decided to go postal.

Only a couple of tic's and a few toc's away from having to hunker down.

DAVE, you're planting your garden and you're worried about not having it all in? Man, I don't plant until the 1st and sometimes the 2nd week of June. I've seen heavy frost here as late as June and end up loosing all the blossums on the apple trees.

rick1 wrote:...
Now, just my opinion, I think this was a test run by a foreign entity, most likely Russia, to see if it would be worth to take down the power grid, in the middle of next winter.

What's your opinion??????

The hacking group is a Russian bunch, known to freelance, once in a while. I have seen them do work for China.

Based on it coinciding with the Hamas (formerly Suni, but these days, they take funding from both Al Q'ada and Iran) attack on Israel, I would bet it was at the behest of Iran, this time.

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metcalf_sniper_attack

This happened years ago.  
...

Even worse, the perpetrators have still never been caught.  

This was clearly a learning exercise for someone.  

The point is simply this, there are very real and credible threats to our infrastructure and some you don't need to be a computer scientist to pull off...  

There has been theory that it was former employees, but never proven.
They knew just what to cut to prevent the alarms from reaching the nearest police department.
They departed when the cops were 1 to 2 miles from reaching the site. And knew which way to go to avoid detection.

This gives them flexibility. They can take down the grid from halfway around the world, and then destroy the physical infrastructure right here in the US. In a one-two punch, they could eliminate us, permanently, from the Global Stage. The Prophesy would be fulfilled, for the battles shown in Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38 to begin.

I only hope that God doesn't decide to let things ride for 40 years between our destruction and those prophesies. Those will be some hard years. (I wouldn't survive more than a few months.)

So in today's pipeline hack update, the WH has seized millions in bitcoin out of the hands of the attackers!

I thought once you were a target of ransomware you are at their mercy because no one has cracked the code. Yet.

The ransom was paid, the hackers released the pipeline and we reversed the bitcoin payment like a bounced check?

Are we believing the story?

They only got a little over half the money, but better then nothing. They can give me the other half and I'll share it with everybody here.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/u-s-recovers-millions-pipeline-ransom-because-hackers-mistake-n1269889