Islip Town's computer system fully online after network was down for a week, officials say

Islip Town's computer system is fully online, a week after "unusual activity" prompted the town to temporarily shut it down, officials said Friday. 

Of the town’s more than 900 computers, about 700 of them were completely scrubbed and rebooted during the week, Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter told Newsday Friday. 

Councilman Jorge Guadrón said information technology workers were cleaning every computer the town had in service. 

The town did not have to purchase any new computers because of the activity, Carpenter said. A computer consultant who works on retainer for the town helped officials navigate the checklist of agencies to alert and steps to take, she said. 

The town’s security software detected the activity shortly before 6 a.m. on Nov. 25, Carpenter said previously. The town’s IT department disconnected the system as a precautionary measure, the supervisor said. Officials have not described what activity was detected. 

Although the system was fully back online, Carpenter said minor glitches could occur, but “nothing anyone should be concerned about.”

The internal forensic investigation remains ongoing, Carpenter said. Islip alerted both the state and federal Departments of Homeland Security of the activity last week. A state Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the town had alerted the agency of the activity, but would not say if it was investigating.

As of Friday, Carpenter said she has received no information to indicate that public information was compromised. Vendors and employees received their payments on time, she said. 

Carpenter said the town immediately identified payroll and public safety as top priorities to revive. Most of the town’s phone lines remained working, and public safety dispatch continued to send out employees as needed. 

The biggest difference was the change of pace town employees experienced, Carpenter said. Their computers were off. Their phones remained quiet without a barrage of email alerts. They did more in-person work with the public and answered more phone calls. 

Instead of sending emails, Carpenter said, employees talked with residents "on the phone like back in the old days."

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.