You are connecting from Lake Geneva Public Library, please login or register to take advantage of your institution's Ground News Plan.
Published 1 day ago • loading... • Updated 21 hours ago
Northern California City Declares Emergency After Malware Disrupts 911 and Public Safety Systems
The city said critical public safety operations were hit, but emergency calls were rerouted through Solano County and no imminent threat was reported.
Suisun City declared a state of emergency Saturday after malware disrupted 911 routing and public safety systems, with the infection beginning Friday at 5:45 a.m. in the East Bay community of about 30,000 residents.
The Suisun City Council approved the emergency declaration Saturday morning to access critical support services and recoup costs, while officials shut down the entire network "to contain the threat and preserve evidence for a federal investigation."
Dispatchers are routing calls through the Solano County dispatch center, and officials stated, "All public safety services remain active," with police and firefighters continuing to respond to emergencies.
"The cybersecurity incident hit critical public safety operations, including 911 routing, police and fire dispatch, records and city services," the city said, and many online services remain unavailable.
Investigators from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and California Office of Emergency Services are assisting Suisun City to restore functionality, though officials have not identified the malware source or who may be responsible.
California town of Suisun City disconnects its municipal network to contain a computer infection on police and fire servers while the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security take over the investigation