FBI investigating outage affecting Onondaga County records system

Syracuse, N.Y. — The FBI and Homeland Security are investigating an outage that has affected the Onondaga County Clerk’s records system since Monday.

Cott Systems Inc., the third-party vendor the county contracts with for online record management, notified the clerk’s office on Monday that it detected potentially malicious files and shut down all of its servers to find the source of the problem.

The vendor said it found it was a target of a organized cyber attack. Cott Systems has since contacted the FBI. The federal authorities have been investigating the group responsible for the attack, according to Cott Systems.

The county’s online record management system within the clerk’s office remains offline until the issue is resolved by Cott, County Clerk Lisa Dell has said.

That means online filing and search of records such deeds, mortgage, mortgage satisfactions and business certificates can’t be accessed. Dell said the county can revert to “old-school” methods and find a record in-person in a written book or microfilm if needed.

The issue also affects the county’s court records system, but court documents can still be accessed through the state website at www.nycourts.gov.

Cott was unable to give a date when services are expected to be restored, according to an update the company sent to the county.

Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him: Email | Twitter or at 315-690-6950.

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