A cyberattack triggered a almost daylong failure of the country’s brand-new 988 psychological health helpline late last year, federal authorities inform The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A cyberattack triggered a almost daylong blackout of the country’s brand-new 988 psychological health helpline late last year, federal authorities informed The Associated Press Friday. Lawmakers are now calling for the federal company that supervises the program to avoid future attacks.
“On December 1, the voice calling performance of the 988 Lifeline was rendered notavailable as a outcome of a cybersecurity occurrence,” Danielle Bennett, a spokesperson for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, stated in an e-mail.
The attack happened on the network for Intrado, the business that supplies telecom services for the helpline. The company did not reveal information about who it thinks introduced the attack or what kind of cyberattack tookplace. Intrado is working with a third-party assessor to examine the event and law enforcement agen