Ransomware attacks: How should the U.S. respond?

Ransomware attacks are increasingly targeting companies’ computer systems, demanding money in exchange for returning access and data.

Last month, hackers breached Colonial Pipeline — which supplies 100 million gallons of fuel daily along a 5,500-mile pipeline — and gained access to its business networks. In response, Colonial shut down pipeline operations, which led to nearly a week of widespread fuel shortages along the East Coast.

The CEO of Colonial Pipeline testified before a Senate committee last week, explaining his decision to pay a multimillion-dollar ransom to regain access: “I made the decision to pay,” Joseph Blount told members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. “I put the interests of our country first.” The Department of Justice ultimately recovered $2.3 million of the $4.4 million cryptocurrency ransom that Colonial paid to the group DarkSide.