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Cuomo Wants Tougher Penalties For Hacking, Identity Theft

The city has not revealed the type of ransomware it was infected with, if it knows who was behind the attack, or where it originated from.
Yuri Samoilov/Flickr

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to strengthen state laws against computer hacking, identity theft and other cybercrimes.

The Democratic governor on Friday also called for the creation of a new "cyber incident response team" to help state agencies prevent and respond to cyberattacks.

The recommendations would enhance the criminal penalties for tampering with a computer or using a computer to steal the identities of large groups of individuals.

Cuomo says computer hacking and cybercriminals represent an "ever-increasing threat" to New York and to the privacy and financial health of citizens.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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