Counties work to restore computer systems
Computer systems in Dutchess and Putnam counties were among those affected when a defect in a cybersecurity company’s Windows software update caused global outages that have also impacted airlines, banks and other local governments.
Both Dutchess and Putnam said that while 911 systems were unaffected, others were when a bug in an update instituted by the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused a large-scale shutdown of computer systems.
Although CrowdStrike announced that a fix had been “deployed,” Dutchess County said early on Friday (July 19) that many of its operations and services would be affected “throughout the day” as its Office of Central & Information Services worked to restart systems.
By 2:30 p.m., County Executive Sue Serino announced that OCIS staff had been able to “quickly and efficiently restore Dutchess County government operations with little or no disruption to residents” after installing a software patch on hundreds of computers.
Departments connected to the state’s computer systems, such as Community and Family Services and Motor Vehicles, will be impacted until those are back online, with DMV unable to process transactions, said Serino, who also warned that county residents should be wary of emails and phone calls claiming to be from CrowdStrike.
Putnam said in a statement that the problem affected “workstations, laptops and servers, forcing them into an instantaneous ‘Blue Screen of Death.’ ” Tom Lannon, Putnam’s IT director, said, “There is no easy fix,” but the county is using a workaround.
“As of now, each computer has to be repaired manually, which is a timely process,” he said on Friday morning.
Statewide, each of New York’s counties has 911 service, Gov. Kathy Hochul said, but state Department of Motor Vehicle offices have experienced “major disruptions.”
At Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, airlines were reporting delays ranging from two to six hours, according to an update posted at 12:16 p.m. on Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center. Delays were averaging nearly three hours at JFK Airport and more than two hours at LaGuardia, according to the FAA.
By Saturday (July 20), the FAA was not reporting delays at either airport.
