HAUPPAUGE, NY — Former US Attorney Richard Donoghue — hired by Suffolk to investigate the cyberattack — says it’s possible the hackers had a different entry point, as forensic examiners weren’t allowed access to the case officer’s office until 45 days after the shutdown had, reports News 12.
The investigation is ongoing, County Executive Steve Bellone said in December.
Donohue, who prosecuted cybercrime cases and formerly served as an attack protection attorney for a software company, called the breach “a significant attack” and explained that the county’s population of 1.5 million has “a much broader impact” on “the… People’s lives “got,” the outlet reported.
Patch has reached out to County Executive Steve Bellone’s office for comment.
Hackers first broke into the clerk’s office, giving them greater access to the county’s servers and forcing officials to shut down all web-based applications on September 8, bringing most departments back online from the ’90s and early 2000s .
The attack disrupted online operations not only for the employee, but also for the county’s transportation bureau and the audit office, which are reportedly behind on payments to vendors.
Most notably, officials announced in November that the driver’s license numbers of nearly 500,000 people who may have been issued violations in the county police precinct, the area patrolled by Suffolk Police outside of villages, have been uncovered.
The personal information of current and former employees was also disclosed.
County officials have since provided credit monitoring and recovery services to those affected by the breach.
County Comptroller John Kennedy told News 12 that the cyberattack continues to disrupt payments, something he expects to continue well into 2023.
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