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The investigation into cybersecurity spending splits the Suffolk authorities.
Suffolk County, New York, has approved $ 25.7 million for recovery from one of the most devastating cyber attacks on a municipality in the United States.
The September 8, 2022 attack by ALPHV / BlackCat paralyzed critical systems, exposed the personal data of some 470,000 residents and 26,000 employees, and disabled police services for several weeks. Payment systems, access to public records and online testing were affected, and the district's main website was down for several months. Some officials claim that the effects of the attack are still being felt.
Former county executive Stephen Bellone declared a 16-month state of emergency after the attack, allowing the county to suspend the normal bidding process for government contracts.
While the final cost of the cyberattack is still being calculated, the district estimates the cost at $25.7 million, including contracts through the end of 2024. John F. Kennedy County Comptroller previously accused the Bellona administration of spending $13.8 million on products that were either not needed or never used.
The new county executive, Edward P. Romaine, is looking for ways to get some of the funds back. Romayne criticized the signing of multi-year contracts by the previous administration during the transition of power.
District Attorney Ray Tierney has opened an investigation into allegations of document destruction in the final days of Bellona's administration. However, Bellon claims that all data backups were restored or rebuilt, and the county did not pay the ransom to the extortionists.
The $25.7 million does not include thousands of hours of overtime for employees of various departments after the attack, Kennedy noted, as well as other non-technology services, including more than $1 million for legal expenses and cyberattack investigations. According to the district's analysis, a significant portion of the cost ($8.1 million) was allocated to Palo Alto Networks for system support and forensic investigations.
A legislative report on the cyberattack is expected in the coming weeks, although it is likely to focus more on the reasons for the attack and the effectiveness of the response than on the costs. Romain stated that a special committee is needed to investigate the costs and expressed his desire to spend $26 million to strengthen current security systems so that the district can qualify for cyber insurance, which is provided only if there is an appropriate level of protection and appropriate security measures.
Source
Suffolk County, New York, has approved $ 25.7 million for recovery from one of the most devastating cyber attacks on a municipality in the United States.
The September 8, 2022 attack by ALPHV / BlackCat paralyzed critical systems, exposed the personal data of some 470,000 residents and 26,000 employees, and disabled police services for several weeks. Payment systems, access to public records and online testing were affected, and the district's main website was down for several months. Some officials claim that the effects of the attack are still being felt.
Former county executive Stephen Bellone declared a 16-month state of emergency after the attack, allowing the county to suspend the normal bidding process for government contracts.
While the final cost of the cyberattack is still being calculated, the district estimates the cost at $25.7 million, including contracts through the end of 2024. John F. Kennedy County Comptroller previously accused the Bellona administration of spending $13.8 million on products that were either not needed or never used.
The new county executive, Edward P. Romaine, is looking for ways to get some of the funds back. Romayne criticized the signing of multi-year contracts by the previous administration during the transition of power.
District Attorney Ray Tierney has opened an investigation into allegations of document destruction in the final days of Bellona's administration. However, Bellon claims that all data backups were restored or rebuilt, and the county did not pay the ransom to the extortionists.
The $25.7 million does not include thousands of hours of overtime for employees of various departments after the attack, Kennedy noted, as well as other non-technology services, including more than $1 million for legal expenses and cyberattack investigations. According to the district's analysis, a significant portion of the cost ($8.1 million) was allocated to Palo Alto Networks for system support and forensic investigations.
A legislative report on the cyberattack is expected in the coming weeks, although it is likely to focus more on the reasons for the attack and the effectiveness of the response than on the costs. Romain stated that a special committee is needed to investigate the costs and expressed his desire to spend $26 million to strengthen current security systems so that the district can qualify for cyber insurance, which is provided only if there is an appropriate level of protection and appropriate security measures.
Source
