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Dispatchers facing delays answering 911 calls in Harris County

Weeks after Harvey, the Harris County Sheriff's Office says they are facing delays answering 911 calls. In some cases, it could take minutes to speak with an operator.

The sheriff's 911 operators were relocated to the Greater Harris County 911 Emergency Center after flooding at the sheriff's emergency dispatch center.

Full article: http://abc13.com/dispatchers-facing-delays-answering-911-calls-in-harris-co/2436636/

 

Details on TDOS Attack on 911 system in Maricopa County, AZ

Cyber Attack on 9-1-1 System Leads to Quick Arrest An 18-year-old was arrested last week after carrying out a cyberattack on the Maricopa County 9-1-1 system. The man posted a link in Twitter which supposedly directed people to a site called “Meet Desai.” However, when people clicked the link it would continually call 9-1-1 and not let the caller hang up. Law enforcement found him quickly using the GPS on his phone, arrested him in class, and confiscated his electronics. The accused said he was on the trail of bugs and viruses that he could change and manipulate. Once he manipulated this one, he set it to call 1+911. He claims he created this to basically make a name for himself in the programming and hacker world, and with the hopes Apple would pay him for finding bugs. He said during questioning the bug was meant to be “funny” and claims its release was accidental. He now faces three felony counts of computer tampering. The volume of calls could have shut down the 9-1-1 system but didn’t and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Division was able to shut down the application, ending the threat. For now. With a subsection of hackers potentially looking for bugs, programs, and viruses they can either alter or “piggyback” other applications or programs on to, it is anyone’s guess what the next one will look like. Hopefully this particular bug has been patched by now.

Full article: https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2016/10/27/teen-launches-cyberattack-on-911-system-maricopa-county-cybercrime-unit-makes-quick-arrest/

 

BEST PRACTICES CHECKLIST FOR DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACKS AGAINST 9-1-1 CENTERS

https://www.nena.org/news/120618/Best-Practices-Checklist-for-Denial-of-Service-Attacks-Against-9-1-1-Centers.htm

 

NICS, A Communication Platform For First Responders, Now Available Worldwide

Release Date: 

August 8, 2016

DHS S&T Press Office, John Verrico, (202) 254-2385

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has announced the Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS,) an information sharing tool for first responders, is now available worldwide.

NICS is a mobile, web-based communication platform that enables responders on scene at a developing incident to request and receive assistance from remote experts, such as a university researcher or topographic expert, in real time. Conversely, experts can observe an evolving situation and volunteer relevant material or resources.

After successful beta-implementation, NICS has transitioned to the open-source community for wide accessibility, freely available for any interested party.

Full article: https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/news/2016/08/08/news-release-nics-communication-platform-first-responders-now

911 System Done in by a Malfunctioning Air Conditioner

Lawmakers want answers about how this could occur after county spent tens of millions of dollars 911 equipment, maintenance, training and testing.

Sandra Tan, The Buffalo News, N.Y. | March 31, 2016

Erie County’s 911 system shut down for nearly four hours Wednesday morning – done in by a malfunctioning air conditioner.

And the failures didn’t stop there. The back-up system didn’t work either, and more than half an hour passed before anyone realized it. County dispatchers headed to a secondary location in Cheektowaga, only to discover that emergency calls that were supposed to be diverted there weren’t coming in.

Now lawmakers want answers about how this could occur after spending tens of millions of dollars in recent years on 911 equipment, maintenance, training and testing.

Full article: : http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Erie-County-officials-seek-answers-after-911-failure.html

FCC Task Force Adopts NG 9-1-1 Architecture, Cybersecurity Recommendations

By Kristen Beckman, Managing Editor

Friday, December 11, 2015 | Comments

The FCC’s Task Force on Optimal Public-Safety Answering Point Architecture (TFOPA) procedurally adopted recommendations developed by two of its three working groups Dec. 10.

 

TFOPA is a federal advisory committee created to provide recommendations to the commission about what steps public-safety answering points (PSAPs) can take to optimize security, operations and funding as they migrate to next-generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1). Working group one studied cybersecurity issues, and working group two focused on NG 9-1-1 architecture implementation. Working group three, which studied 9-1-1 fees and resource allocation, released its report with recommendations in October.

Full article: http://mccmag.com/News/NewsDetails/newsID/13736/

Drones getting in the way of emergency responders

SAN DIEGO — As Jason Thrasher lowered his helicopter to a park with seven firefighters aboard, he saw what he thought was another firefighting chopper battling a blaze that was threatening homes.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pilot suddenly identified the object as a four-rotor drone only 10 feet from his windshield, forcing him to make a hard left to avoid a collision about 500 feet above ground, according to a report he filed the next day.

"If that drone came through my windshield, I have no idea what could have happened," Thrasher said in a phone interview. "If that drone hits my tail rotor, for sure it's going to be catastrophic."

Full article: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/drones-getting-in-the-way-of-emergency-responders/ar-BBlB50S?ocid=spartandhp

 

FEMA Launches Innovative National Volunteer Program to Enhance Disaster Response and Recovery Efforts Nationwide

Release date: 

JUNE 17, 2015

 

Release Number: HQ-15-038

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with seven technology organizations to provide state, local, tribal and territorial governments with technology resources during a disaster to expedite response and recovery. Cisco Systems, Google, Humanity Road, Information Technology Disaster Resource Center, Intel, Joint Communications Task Force and Microsoft have joined FEMA’s new Tech Corps program – a nationwide network of skilled, trained technology volunteers who can address critical technology gaps during a disaster.

Full article: http://www.fema.gov/news-release/2015/06/17/fema-launches-innovative-national-volunteer-program-enhance-disaster

 

 

Mission-Critical Networks Face Increasing Cybersecurity Threats

As the nation’s 9-1-1 and critical infrastructure networks begin to evolve from closed systems to IP-based systems, including next-generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) technology, the potential for new cybersecurity risks could increase.

Both regional and state emergency services IP networks (ESInets) as well as customer premises equipment (CPE) may become attractive targets for hackers, said Jason Jackson, executive director of the Alabama 9-1-1 Board, which recently completed a study of cybersecurity risks to the Alabama Next Generation Emergency Network (ANGEN). Jackson shared some of the state’s lessons learned during a National 911 Program presentation.

The United States is the most hacked country in the world, accounting for about 37 percent of all hacking attempts, said Jackson. Government agencies are targeted more often than individuals, companies or other organizations, with more than one-quarter of hacking attempts directed at government networks.

Full article: http://mccmag.com/onlyonline.cfm?OnlyOnlineID=523