Suffolk County National Bank hacked, info accessed

LONG ISLAND The hacker reportedly gained access via the computer server hosting SCNB's online banking system.

Based on the ongoing investigation, the unauthorized access occurred during six-day-period between November 18 and November 23, 2009.

Officials say 8,378 online banking customers were affected, just under 10 percent of the bank's total customers.

Bank officials say they isolated and rebuilt the compromised server and took other measures to ensure the security of data on the server. No evidence of any unauthorized access to online banking accounts has been found, and officials say there have been no reports of unusual activity or financial loss.

The bank has taken a number of additional steps to minimize any possible effect of this incident on its customers. Officials say they:

Immediately launched an aggressive investigation of the incident with assistance from outside experts in forensics.

Notified the consumer reporting agencies of the incident.

Notified the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, its primary regulator; the New York State Consumer Protection Board; the New York State Office of Cyber Security & Critical Infrastructure Coordination; and law enforcement agencies.

Notified all customers affected via first class mail posted Tuesday.

For affected retail customers, arranged for credit monitoring services for 2 years, at SCNB's expense.

For affected business customers, arranged for Positive Pay service from SCNB, or Deluxe Security Checks for one year, at SCNB's expense.

Further information regarding these services is available at SCNB.com. Customers wishing to reassure themselves of their status with regard to this incident can contact the manager of their local branch office. Telephone numbers for each office can be obtained from the web site or at SCNB's main number, 1-(631) 208-2200.