Suffolk County Civil Service Exams Canceled For Saturday Due To Cyberattack

HAUPPAUGE, NY — In the latest development of the cyberattack on Suffolk County, officials announced on the government's temporary website that Saturday's civil service exams would be postponed and candidates would be notified of any rescheduled dates.

Below Friday's update contained a list of the county's departments with descriptions of how each one serves the public, as well as contact information. Many of the departments were operating off a general email address, or phone number.

The Department of Social Services was asking that residents contact staffers through a general email and phone number. The agency has partnered with the state to process Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance benefit applications because the state has provided "the necessary hardware" to make way for the processing of new applications "in a safe and secure way," the website stated.

"While applicants may experience a slight delay, the department's goal is to process all new applications within the prescribed 30-day time frame," the statement read. "SNAP cases will be processed in date order."

Officials said there has been "no impact" on residents who have already been previously approved to receive benefits.

The department was also taking applications for burial assistance by phone.

Other departments operating through a general email included the Veterans Affairs Department, the Office for People with Disabilities, the Office of Aging, and the Traffic and Parking Violations Agency.

The Department of Health Services was also operating, but off of several general email addresses, depending on the program. Residents in need of Women, Infant, and Children assistance were requested to call the local administration office for the area they live in.

The county has also undertaken some contingency plans at the Board of Elections, which is facing its busiest time of year, Newsday reported.

BOE Commissioner Betty Manzella told the outlet that while the department waits for its systems to return, it will be using workarounds, which will include coordinating with the Department of Motor Vehicles to process online voter registration applications.

The department is accepting communication through a general email address and a phone number for residents with questions. But residents can also check their voter registration on the state's website, according to the outlet.

Suffolk's BOE will put out a schedule for early voting, which starts on Oct. 29, soon, Manzella told the outlet, adding that she and the department is on track to get military ballots mailed out on Friday, which is required by law.

Overall, Manzella said the department is in "good shape" and the election will not be “impeded," Newsday reported.

County officials announced last week that the hackers responsible for the cyberattack had either accessed or acquired residents' personal information and they advised vigilant credit monitoring.

The county's web-based applications were attacked on Sept. 8, forcing officials to take down some of its services, including web pages and email, while they undertook an investigation. The attack has since been deemed a ransomware attack.

A cyber criminal gang named "BlackCat" has alleged responsibility, according to posts to the dark web.

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