<p>The US pipeline network shut down by a cyber attack said Saturday it has returned to fully "normal operations," easing concerns but not immediately ending gas shortages affecting many Eastern states.</p>.<p>Colonial Pipeline had announced late Thursday that its system was back up and running but said it might take days for the supply delivery chain to return to normal.</p>.<p>But on Saturday, the Georgia-based company announced the full return to normal, "delivering millions of gallons per hour to the markets we serve," it said on Twitter.</p>.<p>Washington believes a Russia-based criminal group known as Darkside had targeted the company in a so-called ransomware attack.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/cyberattack-forces-a-shutdown-of-a-top-us-pipeline-983889.html" target="_blank">Cyberattack forces a shutdown of a top US pipeline</a></strong></p>.<p>On Friday, computer servers for Darkside were taken down by unknown actors. Security firm Recorded Future said Darkside had admitted in a web post that it lost access to certain servers, though reportedly only after receiving a $5 million ransom payment from Colonial Pipeline.</p>.<p>Former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers said on CNN that US officials had likely exerted heavy pressure on the Russian leadership to shut down the hackers.</p>.<p>Colonial's temporary shutdown led to panic buying, with frantic motorists from Florida to Maryland lining up at gas stations. The resultant surge in demand sent the national average price above $3 a gallon for the first time since late 2014.</p>.<p>Website GasBuddy said 81 percent of stations in Washington remained out of gas on Saturday, though the numbers in several eastern states were much better.</p>.<p>Colonial Pipeline operates the largest fuel conduit system in the United States, sending gasoline and jet fuel from the Gulf Coast of Texas to the populous east coast through a pipeline network serving 50 million consumers.</p>
<p>The US pipeline network shut down by a cyber attack said Saturday it has returned to fully "normal operations," easing concerns but not immediately ending gas shortages affecting many Eastern states.</p>.<p>Colonial Pipeline had announced late Thursday that its system was back up and running but said it might take days for the supply delivery chain to return to normal.</p>.<p>But on Saturday, the Georgia-based company announced the full return to normal, "delivering millions of gallons per hour to the markets we serve," it said on Twitter.</p>.<p>Washington believes a Russia-based criminal group known as Darkside had targeted the company in a so-called ransomware attack.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/cyberattack-forces-a-shutdown-of-a-top-us-pipeline-983889.html" target="_blank">Cyberattack forces a shutdown of a top US pipeline</a></strong></p>.<p>On Friday, computer servers for Darkside were taken down by unknown actors. Security firm Recorded Future said Darkside had admitted in a web post that it lost access to certain servers, though reportedly only after receiving a $5 million ransom payment from Colonial Pipeline.</p>.<p>Former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers said on CNN that US officials had likely exerted heavy pressure on the Russian leadership to shut down the hackers.</p>.<p>Colonial's temporary shutdown led to panic buying, with frantic motorists from Florida to Maryland lining up at gas stations. The resultant surge in demand sent the national average price above $3 a gallon for the first time since late 2014.</p>.<p>Website GasBuddy said 81 percent of stations in Washington remained out of gas on Saturday, though the numbers in several eastern states were much better.</p>.<p>Colonial Pipeline operates the largest fuel conduit system in the United States, sending gasoline and jet fuel from the Gulf Coast of Texas to the populous east coast through a pipeline network serving 50 million consumers.</p>