What’s New: A ransomware attack caused one of the East Coast’s largest fuel pipeline operators to shut down its entire network yesterday, according to The Washington Post.

Why This Matters: While these attacks occur more frequently than the public might understand, Colonial’s 5,500 miles of pipelines carry fuel to more than 50 million consumers.

“There are absolutely cases in industrial operations where ransomware impacts operations,’’ said Robert M. Lee, CEO and cofounder of Dragos, a major cybersecurity firm that handles incidents in the industrial control sector. “Oftentimes, though, that impact isn’t the impact that gets news media attention. They may not be to the level that this case is, but there are lots of industrial control companies that are battling ransomware around the United States.”

What I’m Thinking: