New York News

Cuomo Wants Tougher Penalties For Hacking, Identity Theft

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published January 7, 2017 at 3:47 AM EST

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.

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.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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