Albany County, New York investigates possible cybersecurity breach

Albany County, New York said on 24 May 2024 that it was investigating a possible cybersecurity breach of its networks, discovered shortly before the Memorial Day weekend. County Executive Daniel McCoy said officials were investigating the possibility of a breach and that the county would carry out a comprehensive analysis over the holiday weekend.

Most county services continued to operate. The main visible effect was that residents could no longer request certificates of residency through the county's website and were told to telephone the Division of Finance instead.

McCoy said the county was working with the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and its Cyber Incident Response Team. He added that the county was not aware of any data having been accessed or removed. Officials did not say when the activity began, whether ransomware was involved, or whether federal law enforcement had been brought in.

Albany County has more than 310,000 residents. The Record noted that the region had absorbed several earlier incidents, including ransomware attacks between 2019 and 2021 affecting the county airport, the 911 dispatch center and the city of Albany. As of the reporting date the county had made no determination about the extent of the intrusion and had announced no notifications.