New York Capitol hit by cyberattack, budget deal delayed

The computer infrastructure of the New York State Legislature appeared to be the target of an alleged cyberattack overnight on Tuesday, delaying the already weeks-overdue state budget negotiations, reported The Hill.

New York Governor Kathy Hocul stated that the cyberattack took place in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting a quick response from cybersecurity officials.

“Our understanding right now is that it will take a little bit longer to deal with the legislative side of it because a lot of data is included in the computers,” Hochul said of the budget process in a WNYC radio appearance with Brian Lehrer on Wednesday, according to The Hill.

The hardest hit, according to Gothamist, a New York City-centric blog website operated by New York Public Radio, was the legislature’s bill drafting office, which is in charge of deciding on the state budget’s final wording.

With regard to the state budget, which was due at the end of March, legislators are already 17 days behind schedule. The bill drafting office is responding to the attack by using a computer file system that was replaced more than 20 years ago, which dates back to 1994, The Hill reported.

Hochul announced on Monday that negotiations on a USD 237 billion budget proposal had been agreed upon by parliamentarians and that this week’s proceedings were anticipated to proceed.

According to The Hill, the members of Congress are concerned about the growing prevalence of cyberattacks and the possible hazards they pose to businesses and governments, which has centred attention on Washington in recent months.

A particular warning for state water and wastewater systems was issued by the Biden administration last month, alerting people to the possibility that attacks could be launched against vital infrastructure.