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Cyberattacks on 911: Lessons Learned

Budge Currier  (911 Branch Manager, Public Safety Communications, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Service)

Mark Buchholz  (Executive Director, Washington County Consolidated Communications Agency)

Steve McMurrer  (911 Systems Administrator, Fairfax County Virginia 911, Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications)

James Jarvis  (Emergency Communications Coordinator, DHS-CISA)

D. Jeremy DeMar  (Senior Product Manager, Intrado – Life & Safety)

Location: N261

Date: Wednesday, March 29

Time: 3:45 pm - 4:45 pm

Pass Type: All Access, Standard, Quick Pass Wednesday

Track: 911 and Dispatch, Cybersecurity

Format: Panel Session

Vault Recording: TBD

Malicious actors continue to target public safety agencies across the Nation. When emergency communications systems go down, it is critical for agencies to get systems back-up and running to provide critical, life-saving emergency services. Following a cyberattack, it can take agencies months to rebuild systems and recover from the incident. In the event of a cyberattack, agencies do not always know immediate steps to take or who to call. During this session, participants will hear about real-world cyberattacks to emergency communications systems and lessons learned from the immediate response phase to full recovery. Speakers will discuss how they navigated challenges responding to cyberattacks, such as identifying the threat, notifying partners, and disconnecting and rebuilding systems. Participants will learn about actions they can take to prevent, mitigate, respond, and recover from cyberattacks.

Participants will hear how CISA is partnering with the 911 community to develop materials and tools on risk reduction strategies, actions, and resources. Specifically, participants will learn about the SAFECOM and National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) Cyber Incident Response Case Studies Suite, which shares best practices and lessons learned from responding to real-world cyber incidents, such as ransomware, telephony denial-of-service, and malware attacks. Participants will also gain a better understanding of how CISA supports state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies before, during, and after cyber incidents.

Join us to learn about resources and tools to enhance the cybersecurity posture of your agency to prevent, mitigate, respond, and recover from cyberattacks!