Security News > 2020 > October > Some Ballot Requests May Be Affected by County Cyber Attack
A hacker attack against an upstate New York county's computer system raised concern that some emailed absentee ballot applications may not be processed, but the state Board of Elections said voting won't be affected overall.
The cyber attack on Oct. 18 encrypted about 200 computers operated by Chenango County and hackers demanded ransom of $450 per computer to unlock the files, Herman Ericksen, the county's information technology director, said Monday.
Last week, the county board of elections released a public statement urging anyone who had sent an absentee ballot application by email since Oct. 15 to call the board to verify it had been received.
The statement said the cyber attack would not otherwise impact voting because "The board has redundancies in place that will allow the secure and effective administration of the general election."
Chenango County is part of the 22nd Congressional District in central New York, where Republican Claudia Tenney is in a tight race to reclaim her seat from U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi, a Democrat who ousted her by fewer than 4,500 votes two years ago.