Rensselaer County reaches cyber breach settlement

RENSSELAER, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Rensselaer County has secured a $2.7 million settlement in an online cyber-phishing scheme targeting a well-established Capital Region company, Taconic Biosciences, in Rensselaer.

According to the law firm representing some of the victims, in 2017, a cyber criminal was able to pose as a member of the company’s management team giving criminal access to W-2 forms of current and former employees.

As part of the settlement, Taconic is required to provide two years of comprehensive identity theft protections, pay up to $3,000 to the victims involved, and pay for legal fees and costs.

However, under the settlement, Taconic is not being held at fault.

Victims have until July 15, 2020 to file for benefits under the settlement.