Did you think the gas shortage a few weeks ago was a problem? Think what it meant to the operators of Colonial Pipeline.

DarkSide hackers shut it down for $4.4 million in ransomware.

Think of other companies, school systems and government agencies that have been hacked by the same criminals.

An energy expert says the US has no way to track ransomware cases.

“Those reported to the FBI increased by 66% in 2020 compared to 2019,” said Rod Funderburk of Resource Supply Management in Columbia.

“While precise data on attacks is often difficult to come by, ransomware victims are estimated to have paid criminals at least $350 million in 2020, a 311% increase over 2019,” he said.

Funderburk advises large energy users on controlling costs and increasing efficiency.

COLONIAL PIPELINE, a Georgia company near Atlanta, operates a 5,500-mile system carrying more than 100 million gallons of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil to the East Coast. It delivers roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast.

The FBI said that the cyber-extortion attempt was carried out by a criminal gang known as DarkSide.

According to the cybersecurity firm, Cybereason, DarkSide has been linked to the former Soviet bloc.

The gang’s new form of ransomware targets corporate and government victims.

They demand ransoms usually in cybercurrency which can’t be traced.

You as an individual are probably in little danger since they target groups controlling millions of dollars. But when they attack a school system or government agency, that ransom comes from your tax dollars.

COLONIAL PIPELINE paid a ransom of $4.4 million within hours of the attack.

For paying, it received a decryption tool to unlock the systems the hacker had penetrated. This tool proved to not be enough to immediately restore the pipeline’s flow.

The company ended up using its own backups to help restore the system.

“We have been told for years that the energy infrastructure in this country is vulnerable to cyberattack,” Funderburk said.

“This attack on Colonial Pipeline may be prelude to things to come.”