Paid $5 Million in Cryptocurrency to Unlock Ransomware
May Have Broken the Principle of 'No Negotiation with Terrorists'
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Reports have emerged that Colonial Pipeline, a U.S. pipeline operator that halted operations due to a hacking attack, paid a ransom to the hackers. President Biden declined to comment on this, drawing attention to whether the U.S. government has abandoned its principle of not negotiating with terrorists during a crisis.
Bloomberg News reported on the 13th (local time) that Colonial paid $5 million in untraceable cryptocurrency to hackers who installed ransomware on its computer systems and demanded money.
When asked whether President Biden was aware that Colonial had paid the hackers, he responded, "I will not answer." The day before, President Biden had predicted, "Good news will come from Colonial within 24 hours."
President Biden described the gasoline supply disruption as temporary and urged people not to engage in gasoline 'panic buying,' warning gas stations against deceiving consumers.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a regular briefing, "Paying ransom encourages such incidents."
On the fourth day of the pipeline shutdown, the White House responded to inquiries on May 10 about whether private companies should pay ransomware ransoms by stating, "The Department of Homeland Security will provide advice."
If the U.S. government advised private companies to pay ransoms, it could spark political controversy as it would mean abandoning the principle of not negotiating with terrorists to overcome the political crisis caused by the fuel disruption.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also stated on the same day, "Companies affected by hacking should not pay ransom."
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