Report Highlights Increase In Cyber Attacks

Imagine. A ransomware attack in Washington, D.C. compromises nearly 70 percent of cameras city-wide. A hacker gains access to police department records and acquires information on the identities of confidential informants and operations. A Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack causes a 9-1-1 emergency system and computer-aided dispatch system to become inoperable for more than ten hours.

In order to successfully address and manage these risks, it is critical that public safety agencies understand what they are facing in terms of cyber threats. Toward that end, Motorola Solutions partnered with LookingGlass Cyber Solutions to explore the current landscape of cybersecurity threats to public safety.

Nationwide, cyber attacks have crippled dispatch systems, slowed response times, exposed records and ultimately created an unsafe environment both for public safety officers and the public they are tasked to protect. In fact, the greatest emerging risks to public safety are those emanating from cyber.

As today’s public safety agencies rely increasingly on computer and communications systems that support all aspects of emergency management, their susceptibility to cyber threats is on the rise. The past 24 months have seen nearly 200 cyber attacks on public safety agencies and local governments. And nearly 40 percent of personnel responsible for protecting public sector IT infrastructure report that the frequency of attacks is increasing, with more than 25 percent reporting that their networks experience a cybersecurity incident on an hourly basis.

Download and read the full report to gain insights into targeted cyber attacks and learn about best practices first responders can take to combat these emerging cyber risks.