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Article Claims Homeland Security Warned Emergency Services ‘Likely Target’ For Cyberattacks, Nationwide 911 Outages Reported Hours Later

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Just hours before reports of nationwide 911 outages, ABC News published an article saying the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned emergency services were the likely target of cyber-attackers.

DEVELOPING: 911 Outages Reportedly Impacting Entire State Of South Dakota, Spreading Nationwide

Coincidence, right?

Who really believes that?

"Calling 911 is meant to save lives. But the emergency service, and others like it, are also viewed as ripe targets for criminally minded cyber-attackers, according to a new federal assessment – and any vulnerability in those critical networks can expose victims to a multitude of dangerous ripple effects," ABC News said Wednesday.

"The analysis, compiled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and obtained by ABC News, outlines concerns that the Emergency Service Sector can be exploited and mined for sensitive data, in turn hampering medical and law enforcement services and posing an ongoing threat to personal information and public safety," the outlet wrote.

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Per ABC News:

"Cybercriminal exploitation of data stolen during ransomware attacks against the Emergency Service Sector (ESS) likely poses a persistent criminal threat due to the exposure and availability of victims’ personal information," according to the April 10 bulletin.

Ransomware attacks have “disrupted the networks of police department and 911 call center operations,” the bulletin continued, putting computer-aided dispatching services out of commission and forcing emergency services “to revert to manual dispatching to sustain their operations.”

Once stolen, potentially sensitive personal information and police records can be leaked, sold or otherwise used by the attackers “to facilitate additional crimes — including extortion, identity theft, and swatting,” the DHS bulletin said.

“Whereas cyberattacks were once considered to be a technology issue, today they’re considered a threat to the very operations of law enforcement and other public safety agencies,” said John Cohen, the former intelligence chief at the Department of Homeland Security, now an ABC News contributor.

“Imagine the impact on local public safety if jail management systems were inoperable because of a cyberattack, that police communication capabilities were disrupted, that the public was unable to contact local police in an emergency, that detectives and investigators were unable to access sensitive case data,” Cohen added. “If a foreign terrorist group, or a nation state, can tie up law enforcement responses by targeting their 911 call center, or police departments can't gain access to investigative or other important information – that will hamper their emergency response, and aid a threat actor in achieving their operational objectives.”

Multiple states have reportedly been impacted by 911 outages.

Some X users speculated a cyberattack may be underway.

From The National Desk:

Authorities across multiple U.S. states reported 911 outages and disruptions Wednesday.

The following states were impacted:

  • South Dakota
  • Nebraska
  • Texas
  • Iowa
  • Florida
  • Wisconsin
  • Kentucky

The cause of the outages wasn't immediately known, with authorities investigating.

This story is developing. 

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