<p>WASHINGTON — The chief executive of Colonial Pipeline is set to testify before Congress next month about a cyberattack that caused the company to halt operations for several days, leading to panic buying of gasoline in many communities.</p>
<p>Joseph Blount is scheduled to appear before the House Homeland Security on June 9, when lawmakers will question him about a ransomware attack that U.S. officials have blamed on a criminal hacking gang in Russia.</p>
<p>The company, which supplies about 45 percent of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, confirmed this week that it paid $4.4 million to the hackers in an effort to restart operations. Colonial said that after it learned of the May 7 ransomware attack, it took its pipeline system offline to do everything in its power to restart operations quickly and safely, and made the decision then to pay the ransom.</p>
<p>The hearing is part of the Oversight Committee’s ongoing focus on the security of the country’s critical infrastructure.</p>
<p>The committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, said in a statement that the attack exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, the need for resilience in networks and the profitability of ransomware.</p>
