Suffolk Working To Fix Delayed College Student Documents Since Attack: Report

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — About 3,000 Suffolk college students whose tuition subsidy was delayed due to the cyberattack will soon be able to obtain residency documents that are needed for the payments, Newsday reported.

The students, who attend 36 community colleges that participate across the state, will have a new online system to get access to residency certificates to get a discount of one-third of their tuition from the county, Deputy County Executive Vanessa Baird-Streeter told the outlet.

Students, who need to get documents before the spring semester, have been unable to apply online with Comptroller John Kennedy's office, but a new area on the county's main website will allow them to fill out the paperwork online through a PDF form that can be emailed or sent by mail to the county, the outlet reported.

To read more in Newsday, click here.

Suffolk officials have been continuing to navigate the Sept. 8 cyberattack that forced them to shut down the county's web-based applications such as email and several websites. The attack was later determined to be a ransomware attack, though officials have never indicated if a demand was made.

County officials announced last week that the driver's licenses, and other personal identification information like passports, of people who were issued tickets between 2013 and 2022 might have been exposed in the attack.

They are now offering free credit monitoring and restoration to people who are eligible.

Suffolk officials announced Thursday that the social security numbers of about 26,000 current and former employees might have been compromised in the attack, according to reports.

Islip Town have announced that unusual activity was detected on the town's computer system, though officials do not believe anyone in the public is at risk. The town's computer network, including email, remains offline.

In light of the recent news, Patchogue Village officials have requested an update on their own cyber-security from the government's Internet Technology consultants.

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