Considerations for Cyber Disruptions in an Evolving 911 Environment

The increased interconnectivity of Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems exposes new vectors for threats that can disrupt or disable the operations of emergency communications centers (ECCs). The disruptions may cause call backlogs and delayed response to emergencies or the transfer of operations to manual mode or alternate ECCs. Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies are making some progress transitioning to NG911.

NG911 presents opportunities to enhance the resilience of 911 systems. However, ECCs may still face disruptions of services even with robust cybersecurity practices. ECCs may have the capability to transfer calls to a neighboring center or a center farther away for processing during or after an attack, even though personnel may not be required to physically evacuate the centers.