Resources by Mission Critical Partners

A Checklist for Securing Public Safety Answering Point Facilities, Personnel and Data

Written by Morgan Sava | March 1, 2017

In Summary:

  • Government facilities are being targeted by hackers, cyber criminals and active shooters, a trend that is increasing in frequency.

  • Most security breaches are borne of comparatively benign circumstances, such a routine password changes or the use of personal devices in the workplace.

  • Physical breaches of a public safety answering point (PSAP) can be equally as devastating.

Several alerts have been issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that government facilities are being targeted by hackers and cybercriminals, a trend that DHS expects will increase. This includes PSAPs, also known as 911 centers. Sometimes personnel click on a link found on a website or in an email and unwittingly unleash a computer virus or malicious code known as malware. Often the breaches come in the form of denial-of-service or ransomware attacks.

This is a significant concern for PSAPs as such an attack could result in its automatic location identification (ALI), automatic vehicle location (AVL), and geographic information system (GIS) data becoming compromised to inaccessible, which would have a dire effect on emergency response.

This whitepaper, "A Checklist for Securing Public Safety Answering Point Facilities, Personnel and Data," discusses strategies for how PSAPs and related public safety agencies can mitigate cybersecurity threats as well as other tactics that can be taken to secure PSAP facilities, personnel and data.

This whitepaper discusses:
  • The leading causes for breaches in the PSAP
  • Simple, yet effective, steps to protect a PSAP networks and systems
  • Strategies PSAPs can take to prevent physical breaches 
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