Colonial Pipeline CEO Admits Paying $4.4 Million to Darkside Ransomware Attackers

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Speaking at the RSA conference, the Colonial Pipeline’s CEO Joseph Blount admitted to paying the Darkside ransomware attackers $4.4 million, saying that the controversial decision was “the right thing to do for the country.”

In return, the company received a decryption tool from the cybercriminals, which was slow to work and wasn’t enough to restore the pipeline’s systems immediately. (Collin Eaton and Dustin Volz / Wall Street Journal)

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