Reuters reports:

The ransomware gang accused of crippling the leading US fuel pipeline operator has said it never meant to create havoc, an unusual statement that experts said was a sign the cyber criminals’ scheme had gone awry.

Colonial says services will be “substantially” restored by the end of the week
The FBI accused the group calling itself DarkSide of a digital extortion attempt that prompted Colonial Pipeline to shut down its network, potentially causing extraordinary disruption as gasoline deliveries dried up.

In a statement on Monday, Colonial said it expected to “substantially” restore operational service by the end of the week.

The terse news release posted to DarkSide’s website early on Monday did not directly mention Colonial Pipeline but, under the heading “About the latest news”, noted that “our goal is to make money, and not creating problems for society”.

The statement did not say how much money the hackers were seeking.

Colonial Pipeline did not offer any comment on the hackers’ statement and US officials said they had not been involved in ransom negotiations.

The hackers have yet to return repeated Reuters requests, put to those operating their website, for further comment.

DarkSide’s statement went on to say that its hackers would launch checks on fellow cyber criminals “to avoid consequences in the future”.

It added the group was “apolitical” and that observers “do not need to tie us” with any particular government.

The statement, littered with spelling and grammatical errors, appeared geared toward lowering the political temperature around one of the most disruptive digital extortion schemes ever reported. [Continue reading…]