The US fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline has confirmed that personal information of nearly 6000 individuals was affected in a ransomware attack earlier this year.
In a notification letter sent to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, Colonial Pipeline said that personal information belonging to 5,810 people was affected by the attack.
The compromised data is thought to include names, birth dates, contact information, driver’s license information, Social Security numbers, government-issued ID (such as military ID and tax ID), as well as health-related information.
The amount of affected information varies from individual to individual, the company noted.
In May 2021, the Georgia-based company was hit by the Darkside ransomware attack which forced the pipeline operator to temporarily shut down operations. The company had also paid the hackers $5 million to regain access to its network. In June, the US authorities reported that a majority of the ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline was recovered.