Cybersecurity for Emergency Communications

Cybersecurity for Emergency Communications encompasses the protective measures, monitoring systems, authentication protocols, and incident response capabilities that safeguard 9-1-1 infrastructure, Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), emergency communications centers, and first responder networks from cyberattacks, unauthorized access, and malicious disruption. As emergency communications transition from isolated legacy systems to Internet Protocol-based Next Generation 9-1-1 networks, cybersecurity becomes a life-safety imperative—a successful attack on 911 infrastructure could prevent emergency calls from reaching dispatchers during the moments when they matter most.

The SUCCESS for BEAD Act mandates specific cybersecurity requirements for states pursuing NG9-1-1 funding through BEAD remaining amounts. State implementation plans must incorporate cybersecurity tools including intrusion detection and prevention measures, include strategies for coordinating cybersecurity information sharing between federal, state, Tribal, and local government partners, and create efficiencies through the virtualization and sharing of cybersecurity infrastructure. Authentication and credentialing systems must utilize an effective, competitive approach that requires certificate authorities to be capable of cross-certification with other authorities, avoids single points of failure or vulnerability, and adheres to NIST best practices for secure connections and access control.

Emergency communications cybersecurity differs from general IT security in its zero-tolerance requirement for system availability—a hospital network experiencing a ransomware attack can implement workarounds, but a 911 system failure means emergency calls go unanswered. BEAD-funded NG9-1-1 infrastructure must balance the interoperability requirements enabling seamless call transfer across jurisdictions against the security controls preventing unauthorized network access. The SUCCESS for BEAD Act's emphasis on commonly accepted standards, competitive procurement avoiding proprietary lock-in, and cross-certifiable authentication reflects this tension—emergency communications must be both open enough to work across boundaries and secure enough to resist sophisticated threat actors targeting critical public safety infrastructure.