Delayed Suffolk Election Results Not Caused By Cyberattack: Report

YAPHANK, NY — Ongoing upgrades to dated computer systems and “additional processing functions” for Tuesday's election caused a two-hour delay in the Suffolk Board of Elections reporting results, not the Sept. 8 ransomware attack on the county, officials told Newsday.

BOE officials said its staff and the county’s were able to rule out “any cyber-security causes, as well as “any problems” linked with new wireless data and front-line firewall systems installed to safeguard election results, the outlet reported.

Chief Deputy County Executive Lisa Black told Newsday officials installed a new firewall on the BOE's server after the cyberattack, and it was in addition to a new firewall on all the BOE's servers installed back in May 2021.

The extra protection was done “out of an abundance of caution because of the cyberattack and the importance of a secure election," she told the outlet.

The additional protection did not cause the slow reporting on election night, Black told Newsday and cited “increased volume of voter turnout” as well as the software upgrades as the likely cause of the issues.

To read more in Newsday, click here.

The delayed election results set many reeling on Tuesday, which had several hotly-contested races, including the race between Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin. Other races included that of the one for Zeldin's seat between Suffolk Legis. Bridget Flemming and Nick LaLota and Robert Zimmerman and George Santos for outgoing U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi's seat.

Long after the results should have been available, the county's two party chairs took to the stage to tell supporters it might be hours before any numbers were released. But just after midnight, some numbers started to trickle in, though some races have not yet been called.

The delay was first attributed to trouble loading memory cards, which prompted a decision to have workers bring them back to the BOE's headquarters in Yaphank, and then later attributed to a problem with Wi-Fi, according to reports.

Suffolk's web-based applications were attacked Sept. 8, forcing officials to take down some of its services, including web pages and email, while they undertook an investigation. The attack has since been deemed a ransomware attack.

County officials have never indicated what demands have been made.

A cybercriminal gang named "BlackCat" has alleged responsibility, according to posts on the dark web.

County officials have previously said that the hackers responsible for the cyberattack had either accessed or acquired residents' personal information and they advised vigilant credit monitoring.

Last week, county officials announced they would only keep a cybersecurity firm handling the ransomware attack until the end of November, Newsday reported.

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