Supplies of gasoline tightened further in parts of the US today as the shutdown of the nation's biggest fuel pipeline by hackers entered its fifth day.
This is raising concerns about price spikes at the pumps heading into the summer driving season.
The Colonial Pipeline said it was working to "substantially" resume operations by the end of this week after a cyberattack forced it to cease operations on Friday.
The closure choked off nearly half of the US east coast’s fuel supply in an incident that underscored the vulnerability of US energy infrastructure to hackers.
The top US energy regulator issued a call for mandatory cybersecurity standards for pipeline operators.
"Encouraging pipelines to voluntarily adopt best practices is an inadequate response," said Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Richard Glick.
The FBI has accused a shadowy criminal gang called DarkSide for the ransomware attack. DarkSide is believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe, according to cyber experts, who point out that it avoids targeting computers that use languages from former Soviet republics.
President Joe Biden said yesterday, however, that he did not believe Russia’s government had sponsored the hack.
"So far there is no evidence based on, from our intelligence people, that Russia is involved," Biden said.
A statement issued in the group's name yesterday said: "Our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society."
Ransomware is a type of malware designed to lock computers by encrypting data and demanding payment to regain access. It is unknown how much money the hackers are seeking, and Colonial has not commented on whether it would pay.
Fuel demand in the southeastern US, a region that relies heavily on the Colonial system, has already risen as consumers fear looming shortages.
The American Automobile Association said the national gasoline price average climbed 6 cents on the week to $2.96 a gallon, the highest since May 2018, and was approaching the highest level since 2014.
But it warned against hoarding, saying that thins supplies further.
If the disruption stretches on, fuel suppliers could ship by trucks and rail instead to make up for some of the shortfalls.
The Department of Transportation on Sunday lifted driver restrictions on fuel haulers in 17 states affected by the shutdown.
