'Unusual Activity' Detected In Town of Islip Computer System

TOWN OF ISLIP, NY — The Town of Islip's computer network — including email access — is offline, after officials said "unusual activity" was detected on the system last week.

The activity was detected shortly before 6 a.m. Friday, officials said. The town's security software detected the activity and alerted the IT department that something was amiss, Supervisor Angie Carpenter said.

"Due to unusual activity detected over the holiday weekend, as a precaution, the Town’s computer system was shut down," Carpenter said in a statement posted to the town's website. "We are in the process of restoration. Most of the phone system is functioning, but should anyone encounter difficulty, we ask that you call the general number at 631-224-5500. The Town’s website is accessible."

More than 900 town computers were checked to see whether they were affected, Newsday reported. Carpenter told Newsday that "the public was not compromised in any way."

It is unclear if the "unusual activity" is related to the September cyberattack on official Suffolk County web-based applications.

Last week, officials announced that the personal information of about 470,000 people who received traffic tickets might have been compromised, as well as the availability of free credit monitoring services.