US 911 emergency phone system vulnerable to DDoS attacks, say researchers

Researchers have warned that the 911 emergency response phone system used in the US is vulnerable to cyberattacks, which could disrupt the network across the nation. According to a

Researchers at Israel's Ben-Gurion University say they have discovered a way to disable the emergency system across an entire state for an extended period using a telephony denial-of-service (TDoS) attack targeting 911 call centres.

Since the 911 emergency number was first instituted in the US in 1968, the emergency infrastructure relies on routing and connecting 911 calls to nearby public call centres, known as public safety answering points (PSAP).