Hackers thwarted in effort to steal $4M from Schenectady County

SCHENECTADY – The bank that handles Schenectady County finances prevented cyber thieves from stealing $4 million from the county's account, several people familiar with the matter said.

It appears the computer hackers broke into the county's computer system and remained there before recently trying to transfer the cash electronically, according to the individuals, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly discuss the situation that is being investigated by cyber security experts and state and federal authorities.

It was unclear if the hackers tried to grab the money all at once or in smaller amounts during multiple transactions.

Last week, the county announced that its computer systems at the main county building, the court office and sheriff's office had all been compromised by malware, which is software designed to damage or disable computers.

Read more: https://www.timesunion.com/7dayarchive/article/Hackers-thwarted-in-effort-to-steal-4M-from-13478945.php