On Friday, May 7th, the Colonial Pipeline Company was forced to shut down the nation’s largest pipeline after their computer systems were hacked. The company found that the cyberattack involved ransomware, which is a type of malware that encrypts networks and blocks access until a ransom is paid to restore entry to the system. In response to the threat, Colonial had to temporarily shut down their network, cutting off supply to thousands of gas stations stretching from Texas to New Jersey.
Colonial Pipeline Company supplies nearly 45% of the gasoline supplied to the East Coast. While the pipeline had most of its systems operating just days after the cyberattack, the incident resulted in consumer panic, gas shortage, and the highest fuel prices we’ve seen in over 6 years. Fuel shortages remain as spooked drivers continue to swarm gas pumps across the East Coast.
Pre-pandemic gas prices peaked at $2.60. On Wednesday, May 12, a resident of Richmond reported seeing fuel priced at $6.99 a gallon, showing that gas stations are taking advantage of the pipeline disruption and the rise in consumer demand. As of Monday, May 17, the average national gas price was $3.04 despite the pipeline restoring service. This hints at the lasting effect the disruption could have on the United States economy.
Businesses Experience Increased Risk of Cyberthreats
The truth is, cyberattacks can happen to anyone. In fact, since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercrime is up around 600%. Hackers pose as representatives from trusted organizations to gain unauthorized entry to computer networks via malicious links or email attachments. The recent pipeline threat has left business owners wondering how they can protect themselves against such phishing attacks.
How The Marcom Group Can Help
A hacked website can leave your important data vulnerable. You could experience a significant drop in traffic and even lose access to your website. At The Marcom Group, we understand how crucial website security is for each of our clients, especially in these uncertain times. This is why we offer premium website hosting with WordPress Security and Maintenance.
With WordPress Security, we can help prevent hacks from happening in the first place. Our security monitoring services thwart potential cyberattacks by scanning for viruses, malware, blocked IP addresses, unauthorized admin access and login attempts, as well as other suspicious threats. Files and other content are scanned for backdoors, trojans, and malicious code that could devastate your website. We monitor your website in real-time and address critical problems promptly. If your website does happen to get hacked on our watch, we will fix it at no additional charge.
As part of our maintenance services, we consistently monitor disk space and scan for out-of-date plugins, themes, and WordPress versions. We keep WordPress and the related WordPress plugins up-to-date. If a plugin becomes incompatible, we’ll find an updated one ASAP. If an incompatible plugin breaks the website, you can count on our experienced team to fix it. We know that a high-quality website that functions reliably is the best way to ensure customer satisfaction. That’s why we’ll do everything we can to keep your website secure and operational 24/7.
Protect Your Website Today
Don’t leave your business’ website vulnerable to cybercriminals who will take advantage of your confidential data and potentially even your customer’s.