OFFICE OF MAYOR DAVID
CITY OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jared M. Kraham
(607) 772-7001
jmkraham@cityofbinghamton.com

City Reports Sewage Treatment Plant Video
Security Breach To Office of New York State
Comptroller
(BINGHAMTON, N.Y.) — On May 24, while touring the Binghamton-Johnson City
Joint Sewage Treatment Plant (JSTP), City Councilman Dan Livingston streamed a
live video of the facility to his public Facebook page. The video featured multiple
non-public areas under construction, plant layout, security features, as well
footage and descriptions of critical infrastructure and systems by plant personnel.
The video was more than an hour in length.
The City’s Office of Corporation Counsel determined the video to be a security
breach and required its immediate removal from Councilman Livingston’s
Facebook page. The video was removed later that day. Corporation Counsel
demanded a copy of the video, but it was apparently deleted. Corporation Counsel
has asked the Councilman to try to retrieve the video for a full cybersecurity
review by its office — and the Office of the State Comptroller — to determine the
full extent of the breach.
A November 2018 report by the Office of the State Comptroller on the City’s water
system cybersecurity determined the City should improve efforts to prevent or
monitor public disclosure of information that could jeopardize critical systems.
One of the report’s key recommendations was to “prohibit the disclosure of
information that can jeopardize the system and monitor for and remove such
publicly shared information.”
“When inappropriately disclosed water system information is publicly available,
individuals with malicious intent can search the Internet for system details while
planning attacks,” according to the Comptroller’s report. “Exposing such details
unnecessarily provides information to these potential attackers, who could then
formulate more focused and effective attacks against the water system.”
The Office of the State Comptroller had previously directed the City to remove a
detailed video tour of another facility that was posted to its website prior to 2014.
“It is not uncommon for the media or public to view areas of government facilities
that are normally off-limits,” said Mayor Richard C. David. “Recently, we invited
the media to tour the renovated police main desk at City Hall. However, prior to

 that event, officials in Information Technology and Police Administration performed
a security review. Monitors that displayed public safety software and investigative
data were turned off, paperwork with sensitive information was removed and
filming areas were limited as to not jeopardize public safety operations. Disregard
for safety and security puts the employees and public at large at risk.”
This matter has been reported to the Office of the State Comptroller. Policy or
legislative actions to prevent similar security breaches will be referred to
Binghamton City Council in concert with Office of the State Comptroller
recommendations.
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