Colonial Pipeline Ransomware: Preservation Considerations
Primary query focus
Ransomware incident preservation: collecting and documenting artifacts for counsel/insurer review without incident-response “analysis.”
- Preserve volatile items and key logs before rotation or cleanup.
- Capture file sets, screenshots, and configuration evidence with timestamps and hashes where applicable.
- Package evidence for secure transfer and later specialist review.
Boundary note: this page describes preservation planning and documentation mechanics. Legal strategy, admissibility, and investigative conclusions remain with counsel and/or separately retained experts.
Internal reference: D365-INS-COL-001
Content reviewed for preservation relevance.
Preservation-focused notes (informational only; no legal advice).
Incident ContextStory overview: In May 2021, Colonial Pipeline—the operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline system—experienced a ransomware incident that led the company to temporarily shut down pipeline operations. The disruption triggered supply constraints and fuel shortages in parts of the U.S. East Coast, and prompted rapid incident-response, regulatory notifications, and significant public reporting. This page summarizes preservation-relevant considerations that can arise when routine operational data suddenly becomes incident-related material.
The 2021 ransomware incident involving Colonial Pipeline led to a temporary operational shutdown and wide public reporting. In events like this, routine operational records can quickly become reviewable materials for response coordination, regulatory reporting, claims handling, and legal preservation obligations.
Why preservation becomes complicatedPreservation risk may be highest during the first response window, when systems are being isolated, rebuilt, or restored under time pressure. Normal recovery steps—reimaging endpoints, resetting credentials, rotating logs, restoring from backups—can unintentionally alter or eliminate artifacts unless preservation steps are identified and documented early.
Records that may become material- Communications (email, chat, ticketing, executive updates, vendor correspondence)
- Security telemetry (EDR alerts, SIEM queries/exports, firewall/VPN/authentication logs)
- Backups and restoration records (backup job logs, restore points, restore activity, integrity checks)
- Incident-response work product (timelines, containment notes, IOC lists, decision logs)
- Access and privilege changes (account disablement, MFA resets, admin group changes)
In later reviews, the focus may be on process evidence: what was collected, when, by whom, under what authority, and how it was safeguarded. Clear chain-of-custody entries, defined access controls, and integrity verification (where applicable) help support reliability and reduce ambiguity when multiple parties handled data during response.
Scope boundaryThis page does not describe investigative findings, attribution, or incident conclusions. It is limited to preservation and documentation considerations.