NY village makes ransom payments to keep computers running

By MICHAEL VIRTANEN

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York auditors say an upstate village made ransom payments of $300 and $500 last year to keep its computers running after two official-looking emails released malware throughout its system.

The mayor says the attack locked up the village's accounting systems.

New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says the cyberattacks should be a wake-up call. He says it shows how a lack of information technology safeguards can cost taxpayers money and cripple day-to-day operations.

Other agencies around the country have also paid ransom to get their computers back.

In Maine this year, the Lincoln County sheriff's office paid about $300 to hackers after several unsuccessful attempts to retrieve their records themselves. A suburban Chicago police department paid a $500 ransom in January to restore access to their data.