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Hackers set off 156 emergency sirens in Dallas over dozen times

A hacker set off all of 156 emergency sirens in city of Dallas on Friday midnight. According to reports, the sirens started to blare before midnight on Friday and was shut off for the first time by city officials, but it was hacked again and set off almost a dozen times prompting the officials to shut down the system entirely around 1.20 am on Saturday morning provoking the fear among residents.

The city tried to inform its residents that there was no emergency via Twitter, but the 911 system was flooded with calls and it received more than 4,400 calls between 11.30 pm Friday and 3 am Saturday morning. As the 911 call center was already short staffed, it staggered to reassure the residents that there was no actual emergency and to maintain peace in the city.

As of noon on Saturday, the city officials have discovered the root of the problem and trying to fix the issue. Apparently, the system has been reactivated and the city is working to implement more safeguards to minimize the damage of compromised system.

Officials still haven’ t had a clue for who was responsible for the hacking, but Rocky Vaz, director of Dallas office of Emergency Management said " with a good deal of confidence that this was someone outside our system" and in the Dallas area.

City officials are taking this incident more seriously and it raised questions among the residents. What kind of vulnerabilities does the system have? And How protected the city will be if it is hacked by external sources? Improvements must be made for the safety of citizens.

Tag : Security
FAQ
Q
What does wearing a black hat mean?
A
The group is considered kind of a black hat in the consulting business. In a dysfunctional organization, it is often impossible to tell who are wearing the black hats, and who are wearing the white hats.
Q
What is an elite hacker?
A
Elite hacker is the name utilized by the community with the aim of identifying those individuals who are deemed to be as experts in their line of work. These people are actually on the “cutting edge” of both the computer and network industry.
Q
Who is a white hat hacker?
A
The term "white hat" in Internet slang refers to an ethical computer hacker, or a computer security expert, who specializes in penetration testing and in other testing methodologies that ensures the security of an organization's information systems.
Q
What is a blue hat hacker?
A
A blue hat hacker is someone outside computer security consulting firms who bug tests a system prior to its launch, looking for exploits so they can be closed. Blue Hat Hacker also refers to the security professional invited by Microsoft to find vulnerabilities in Windows.
Q
What are the 3 types of hackers?
A
Three Types of Hackers. The three types of hackers are the white hat hacker, the grey hat hacker, and the black hat hacker. Each type of hacker hacks for a different reason, a cause, or both.