Bucks County investigating cybersecurity incident affecting computer-aided dispatch system
HATBORO, Pa. (CBS) -- Officials in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, say a "cybersecurity incident" has been affecting the county's computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system since Sunday, shutting down some automated features associated with 911 calls.
County officials say the phone and radio systems are still operational.
"All calls for service from the public are being received and dispatched to first responders without delay. All incidents are being documented using a backup system," police, fire and EMS chiefs were told in a message from the county Monday night.
There's no timeframe for when the CAD will come back online. State and federal agencies are working with the county to investigate, and the county IT is assessing the issue and working to restore service.
The county has also temporarily been disconnected from the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network (CLEAN) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) databases.
"We are requesting that radio communication be kept to essential transmissions only. We cannot field requests for incident times and suggest that responders attempt to maintain their times as best they can," the message to chiefs stated.
Bucks County uses tech company Versaterm's CAD system for police, fire and EMS, the Mesa, Arizona-based company confirmed in a phone call. CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Versaterm with questions and has not heard back.
This incident comes after the county renovated its emergency operation center last year, including upgrades to security systems.
Cybersecurity expert Curtis Fechner said it's vital for emergency agencies to have a backup plan when compromised.
"Any kind of public safety agencies or anybody who is charged with handling 911 dispatch or something like that, they are going to understand how critical their job is and they are going to have contingency plans so they don't have to depend on their modern technologies," Fechner, who is technical director of incident response and threat intelligence at Optiv, said.
Along with the dispatch system, county officials say the state has temporarily cut off access to criminal records data and access to driver's license and motor vehicle information.
What is computer-aided dispatch?
According to the Department of Homeland Security, CAD systems "are utilized by dispatchers, call takers, and 911 operators to prioritize and record incident calls, identify the status and location of responders in the field, and effectively dispatch responder personnel."
