In a report issued in October 2023, New York's State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli indicated that:
"Cyberattacks are a serious threat to America’s critical infrastructure and have the potential to severely impact our day-to-day lives. These incidents often result in data breaches for companies and institutions that collect large amounts of personally identifiable data. Data breaches expose New Yorkers to invasions of privacy, the possibility of identity theft and other types of fraud. Even more troubling are incidents such as ransomware or distributed denial of service attacks that have the potential to shut down systems that we rely on for water, power, health care and other necessities."
The report highlights the recent proliferation of cyberattacks, details the most common types; discusses recent efforts to respond to and prevent such attacks; and recommends a policy framework intended to help New York stay ahead of the threat presented by cyberattacks.
The Office of the State Comptroller [OSC] noted that it is working to help avoid cyber attacks by auditing and uncovering weaknesses in State, local government and school district cyber security systems. Audits by OSC's Divisions of State Government Accountability and Local Government and School Accountability revealed dozens of ransom ware attacks and other data breach incidents that compromised New York State agencies, counties, cities, towns and villages, hospitals and public-school systems, and have identified gaps in cyber security. OSC said "Understanding and addressing these weaknesses can help New York State remain vigilant."
OCS noted that it "will continue to dedicate attention and resources to protecting New York residents and institutions from these attacks."
Click HERE to access the State Comptroller's October 2023 report.