A malfunctioning firewall implemented by a 911 vendor caused a two-hour outage in the emergency calling system in Massachusetts, affecting residents statewide on Tuesday afternoon. The Massachusetts government reported that Comtech, the state’s 911 vendor, has since applied a technical solution to prevent future occurrences.
“A preliminary investigation conducted by the State 911 Department and Comtech determined that the outage was the result of a firewall, a safety feature that provides protection against cyberattacks and hacking,” the announcement stated. This malfunctioning firewall prevented calls from reaching 911 dispatch centers, also known as Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs).
Comtech’s initial review confirmed there was no cyberattack or hack involved. However, the exact reason why the firewall caused the outage is still under review, and a full investigation is ongoing.
The outage disrupted services for approximately two hours. Following the onset of the interruption, the State 911 Department alerted local law enforcement and issued a statewide emergency alert advising residents to call their local public safety business line directly if they experienced an emergency.
Despite the disruption, dispatch centers were able to identify the phone numbers of callers and return missed calls when possible. The Department has not received any reports of emergencies that were unserved during the outage.
Frank Pozniak, Executive Director of the State 911 Department, assured that measures will be taken to prevent future incidents. Massachusetts has 204 Public Safety Answering Points that collectively handle an average of 8,800 calls per day.
In May 2024, Comtech announced a five-year contract extension with Massachusetts to continue developing and operating an IP-based Next Generation 911 system. Comtech has been providing public safety technology for over 25 years and is a key provider nationwide.
911 disruptions periodically occur due to various factors. Notably, a 37-hour CenturyLink outage in December 2018 disrupted 911 service for millions due to malformed packets. Similarly, in February 2024, a significant AT&T wireless outage caused by a failed network update raised concerns about 911 accessibility. For more on recent disruptions, see Ars Technica’s report.