Suffolk officials: Cyber criminals threaten to post stolen data from attack unless county cooperates

Officials say those responsible for a a cyber intrusion in Suffolk are now threatening to post stolen data unless the county cooperates.

News 12 Staff

Sep 19, 2022, 9:43 PM

Updated 816 days ago

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Officials say those responsible for a a cyber intrusion in Suffolk are now threatening to post stolen data unless the county cooperates.
County email and web-based applications were taken offline following the cyber intrusion on Sept. 8.
Some residents are fearful that their information has been leaked. Adam Wandt, a cyber security expert of John Jay College, says those concerns aren't unwarranted.
"There is a very high likelihood that the hackers have obtained information on residents in Suffolk County," Wandt says. "That data can be personal like date of birth, Social Security numbers, criminal records."
He says, however, hackers cannot be trusted and that the county cannot negotiate or have communications with them under any circumstance.
Suffolk police are getting help from New York state, Homeland Security and the NYPD.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison says the NYPD provided the call center with five additional emergency call operators per tour.
The additional NYPD staff helped with the burden of 911 calls now that they are written on paper and ran over to the dispatcher.