Suffolk Union Negotiating Security Proposals With County: Report

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Representatives from the Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees, which previously urged members not to use their personal devices or email, is negotiating cyber security concerns with county officials, according to a report in Newsday.

The union, which represents about 6,000 workers, urged its members on Sept. 16 to hold back from using their personal cellphones and other devices, as well as email for work and report requests to do, telling them, "The temptation to get things done does not diminish the exposure to liability that can be incurred. The potential risk far outweighs any reward,” the outlet reported.

But workers who don’t have email could not communicate and that could hobble the county’s ability to launch a new, higher-security system, which would allow texts to cellphones so that a person’s identity could be verified, someone familiar with the county's cyberattack response told Newsday.

Michael Skelly, a spokesman for the union, told the outlet the new measures in negotiation are “focused on enhancing our ability to fix future attacks while also safeguarding our members’ personal information,” but he would not elaborate.

Suffolk's web-based applications were attacked 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 cybercriminal gang named "BlackCat" has alleged responsibility, according to posts on the dark web.

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

Civil service exams that were postponed earlier this month were rescheduled last week.

Officials resumed allowing title companies to perform searches last Monday, nearly a month after the county's web-based applications were disrupted following a ransomware attack on Sept. 8.

The county's 911 emergency call center, which had been supplemented by the New York Police Department, was restored last week, Newsday reported.

For more in Newsday, click here.

RELATED STORIES:

• Suffolk County's 19 Civil Service Exams Rescheduled
• Suffolk Cyberattack: Title Searches Return As Property Sales Delayed
• Suffolk Civil Service Exams Canceled For Saturday After Cyberattack
• Suffolk Hack: Residents Told Obtain Credit Report, Look Over With Care
• Suffolk Police Expect To Have Systems On Track By End Of Week: Report
• 'Threat Actor' Claims Responsibility For Suffolk Hack On Dark Web
• Suffolk To Pay Nonprofits By Check In Wake Of Cyber Attack: Report
• Suffolk Exec Says 'Cyber Intrusion' Has Hallmarks Of Ransomware
• After Possible Cyberattack, Suffolk Deploys Manual Record-Keeping
• Suffolk County's Websites/Email Down Due To Possible Hack: Report