Baltimore Emergency Dispatch System Hacked, Forces Switch To Manual Mode
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore City 911 dispatch system was hacked Sunday, prompting a temporary shutdown of automated dispatching, according to the mayor's office.
A spokesperson for Mayor Catherine Pugh said in a statement Tuesday that the hack at 8:30 a.m. affected messaging functions within the system's Computer Aided Dispatch Network, which supports 911 and public safety emergency services.
"I wish to emphasize that these critical services were not impacted nor disrupted at any time, as they were temporarily transitioned to manual mode. This effectively means that instead of details of incoming callers seeking emergency support being relayed to dispatchers electronically, they were relayed by call center support staff manually," Chief Information Officer Frank Johnson wrote in a statement.
The affected server was taken offline and after an investigation, the system was restored by 2 a.m. Monday, according to Johnson.
Johnson did not detail what data was compromised or provide information about suspects.
An investigation is ongoing.
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