Panic in California: Cyberattack shuts down city's emergency system
A cyberattack has disabled key systems in the city of Suisun, including 911 call routing and the dispatch of police and fire forces. The municipality disconnected the entire computer network and declared a state of emergency.
Chaos in the city of Suisun, California: A cyberattack has disabled key computer systems in the city, including 911 call routing and the dispatch systems for police and fire departments. Following the attack, the city declared a state of emergency and ordered the shutdown of the entire municipal computer network. Suisun City, located in Solano County, is situated approximately 70 km from San Francisco.
According to authorities, malicious software penetrated the city's information systems around 5:45 AM on Friday. In response, municipal officials disconnected the entire network to prevent the spread of the attack and to preserve evidence as part of a federal investigation.
Despite the disruptions to digital systems, the municipality stated that at this stage there is no immediate danger to residents. Emergency teams continue to operate on the streets, with city dispatchers routing calls through the Solano County dispatch center. Police and fire personnel continue to respond to service calls, even though the attack also affected municipal records and other municipal services. As a result, it was announced that online services and internal systems are temporarily unavailable.
The Suisun City Council voted unanimously on Saturday morning in favor of declaring a state of emergency during a special meeting that began at 11:00 AM. The declaration, made in accordance with Section 8630 of the California Government Code, allows the city to gain faster access to emergency assistance and to receive reimbursement for expenses related to the cyberattack.
City authorities are cooperating with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the California Office of Emergency Services, and other state and regional bodies. The city has activated its emergency operations center while investigators attempt to understand how the malicious software penetrated the network and who is behind the attack.
At this stage, authorities have not disclosed how the attack was carried out or who is behind it.
