SitusAMC rules out ransomware, but accounting records for major institutions potentially affected

Real estate finance business SitusAMC says thieves sneaked into its systems earlier this month and made off with confidential client data.

The full breadth of what that data entails remains under investigation, but the company said accounting records and legal agreements were stolen, and in some cases its clients' customer data may also be affected.

New York City-based SitusAMC said it is working with federal law enforcement and other experts to investigate the attack, which was confirmed on November 15 and did not involve "encrypting malware." Notifications were sent to customers suspected of being affected on November 16, and all customers were informed on November 22.

It said in a statement: "Upon learning of the incident, we took prompt steps to investigate the nature and scope of the incident with the assistance of leading experts. We also notified and began cooperating with law enforcement. We took measures to further secure ...