Colonial Pipeline confirms it paid $4.4m ransom to hacker gang after attack

The company's CEO authorized the payment as a means to restart the pipeline's systems quickly and safely

The operator of the nation's largest fuel pipeline confirmed it paid $4.4m to a gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems.

Colonial Pipeline said Wednesday that after it learned of the 7 May ransomware attack, the company took its pipeline system offline and needed to do everything in its power to restart it quickly and safely, and made the decision then to pay the ransom.