Tag Archive for: county

Sullivan County uses NYSSOC to combat cybersecurity threats

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Cybersecurity threats are a worldwide issue.

New York state is working to combat this with its New York State Security Operations Center (NYSSOC).

What You Need To Know

  • Sullivan County is the first county to start utilizing the NYSSOC

  • The NYSSOC facility is based in Brooklyn and dedicated to detecting and responding to real-time threats 24/7

  • Tompkins County will be the next to launch it, and 45 counties have shown interest in subscribing to NYSSOC

Sullivan County is the first county to start utilizing the NYSSOC.

It allows the state to monitor for cyber threats with a goals of preventing them and improving responses to incidents.

“The county, as well as the state, as well as the nation, are under attack constantly from foreign adversaries just looking to wreak havoc on the infrastructure and environment that we work in and with. So, it’s important for us to know what’s happening quickly, to be able to respond quickly, and to mitigate those risks as quickly as possible,” said Commissioner of Information Technology Services and CIO for Sullivan County Lorne Green.

The NYSSOC facility is based in Brooklyn and is dedicated to detecting and responding to real-time threats 24/7.

“Anything that they see that, you know, red flags, anything, even some minor occurrences that go through, they will alert us. And then, we can take action on those to either let them know that this is a low priority, high priority, medium, and then, whatever that comes through as, we can take action,” said Deputy CIO for Sullivan County Dan Smith.

Officials said Sullivan County went live with NYSSOC in late March. It was selected due to relationships with New York State Homeland Security and the State’s Center for Internet Security.

Officials collected log data from security appliances and servers to feed to NYSSOC to get the project rolling.

“They then parch that data and put it into their recording solution for analysis and further determination as to whether or not there are any incidents that need to be addressed,” Green said.

One of the major aspects of this effort is ensuring threats are being tracked even when local information technology services staff members are not…

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Ransomware attack delaying Jackson County, Missouri home sales

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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — She fought for our country. But now a ransomware attack reportedly carried out by Russians has a local veteran whose disabled fighting to be able to sell her home.

It’s the latest effect from a cyber security breach in Jackson County last week.


Jackson County’s website says offices will remain closed at the Historic Truman Courthouse in Independence Wednesday.

A ransomware attack last Tuesday has closed the Jackson County Recorder of Deeds, Assessment and Collections Office. The county said Monday its making progress on restoration and system recovery. But for some that progress can’t come soon enough.

“It’s had a huge impact on our buyers and sellers in particular,” United Real Estate Kansas City Broker Marta Grace said.

The buyer of Jae Ramsey’s Independence home was hoping for an early closing.

“They told me to get out by April 1st, so I said OK, I did,” she said.

She hired movers with closing originally set for April 4, two days after that ransomware attack.

“They had like ten people in my house taking everything. I have no idea what I even have anymore,” Ramsey said.

Now she’s living with a relative waiting for proceeds from the sale of her home now set to close Thursday. But there’s no indication whether the Recorder of Deeds will open by then or how quickly they’ll get through at least a weeks worth of work missed.

“They are unable to close so the lenders won’t fund. They won’t lend you the money if they cannot record it with the county,” Grace explained.

“Primarily it’s we don’t know when they are going to get to close that’s caused the confusion and kind of a catastrophe,” TG Homes in the Heartland Owner Tina Groumoutis said.

Contracts to sell homes have expiration dates to close by. In Ramsey’s case that deadline is quickly approaching.

“He could very well get cold feet and say I don’t know what’s going on over there, but I’m good I’ll find something else,” Groumoutis said of the…

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Ransomware recovery efforts continue Monday in Jackson County

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County’s Assessment, Collection and Recorder of Deeds offices will remain closed Monday as the county continues to restore network infrastructure following a ransomware attack.

The attack was first reported the morning of Tuesday, April 2. Two days later, the county identified the attack was triggered by a “malicious e-mail link.”

RELATED | Cybersecurity expert gives insight into ransomware attack on Jackson County systems

Monday’s closure will allow the county’s IT professionals to continue recovery efforts by “prioritizing the security and stability” of the affected systems, per a news release from Jackson County.

“We recognize the impact this decision may have on our residents and want to assure them that it was made with careful consideration,” the county shared in the release. “Our commitment remains steadfast in swiftly resolving this situation and minimizing any inconvenience to our community.”

As the offices have been closed for nearly a week, the county said it is grateful for the community’s “continued patience and understanding during this challenging time.”

Updates regarding the reopening of the offices will be “promptly communicated,” per Jackson County.

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Jackson County legislator’s email not connected to ransomware attack

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An email sent from Jackson County Legislator Sean Smith was sent to roughly 50,000 voters on Friday.

The email is not related to the ransomware attack in Jackson County on Tuesday.


“It did not dawn on me that people would be concerned with its legitimacy because of the hacking issues that we had in Jackson County,” Smith said. “But yes, that’s me with a tool that we use at the county for email newsletters and stuff all the time. It’s all pretty safe and secure It’s absolutely separate from all of the county networks that we’ve had issues with.”

The email contains a link that leads to a survey. The survey asks voters how they voted on Tuesday’s “Question 1” and why they chose to vote that way.

“It’s a little weird. I don’t know why you’re sending out emails trying to figure out how people voted,” Broderick Jones said. “Whatever it was, it happened the way it happened, and that’s the way it is. Keep moving.”

Smith told FOX4 that he’s collecting the data because he’s “optimistic that we’ll eventually be in talks again with the teams and we need to understand what people’s concerns were in order to have any success going forward.” Leading up to the vote, Smith thought that the county was “not as ready as we’d like to be,” saying that the data will help him understand his constituency better. “Having data and information about why people have the preferences and concerns they have is the best way for me to represent them.”

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