The backbone of emergency response in the United States — our 911 system — is facing an escalating crisis. According to a new report by emergency technology company Carbyne, the nation’s 911 infrastructure is plagued by frequent outages, growing cyber threats, and aging equipment that increasingly puts lives at risk.
This troubling analysis is drawn from Carbyne’s third annual survey, conducted in partnership with the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). It reveals that nearly 90% of emergency communication centers across the country suffered at least one outage in the past year. The primary causes? Failing hardware, outdated systems, and targeted cyberattacks designed to cripple emergency response capabilities.
Systemic Stress in a High-Stakes Environment
For the professionals working behind the scenes — the dispatchers and technicians who field critical calls every day — the challenges go far beyond technical difficulties.
“What these professionals are experiencing isn’t just stress—it’s systemic fatigue,” said Brian Fontes, CEO of NENA. “This year’s findings are a wake-up call: Real investments are needed to ensure 9-1-1 professionals are supported, protected, and equipped to better serve their communities and care for themselves in these high-stress roles.”
From daily system overloads to hardware failures, the report reveals how fragile the nation’s emergency infrastructure has become. In many cases, dispatchers are left scrambling, unable to effectively respond due to system crashes or interrupted communications.
A Growing Threat: Cyberattacks on 911 Systems
The survey also points to a disturbing rise in cyber threats targeting emergency services. One tactic, in particular, is gaining traction: Telephony Denial-of-Service (TDoS) attacks. In these incidents, malicious actors flood 911 call centers with fake calls, preventing legitimate emergencies from reaching dispatchers.
Most emergency communication centers admit they’re not prepared to defend against these attacks — a fact that’s both alarming and indicative of broader cybersecurity shortcomings in public infrastructure.
“There’s no question: the fragility of current emergency communications infrastructure is putting lives at risk,” said Carbyne CEO Amir Elichai. “What’s clear from this year’s report is that 9-1-1 professionals are doing everything they can—but they need modern, resilient systems to back them up.”
Some Hope: Embracing the Cloud and AI
Amidst the bad news, there are signs of cautious optimism. The report notes a growing interest in cloud-based platforms and artificial intelligence tools that could modernize operations and make emergency centers more resilient. In fact, 75% of respondents said they’re open to using AI to help:
- Manage call surges
- Detect high-risk situations
- Streamline call workflows
These technologies could significantly enhance efficiency, reduce dispatcher burnout, and improve outcomes during crisis situations.
How to Stay Protected — and How PC Matic Can Help
While fixing the nation’s 911 infrastructure will take time and government investment, there are steps emergency agencies — and everyday users — can take to defend against cyber threats now.
PC Matic plays a key role in helping both individuals and organizations protect themselves from the growing wave of cyberattacks:
1 – Application Allowlisting – PC Matic’s default-deny model ensures that only trusted applications can run, protecting endpoints from ransomware, zero-day attacks, and unauthorized software installations. This model is ideal for high-assurance environments like 911 call centers.
2 – Automated Updates – PC Matic automates patch management for Windows, drivers, and common third-party software, helping eliminate vulnerabilities before hackers can exploit them.
3 – U.S.-Based Development and Support – Unlike many security solutions that outsource development, PC Matic is built and supported in the U.S., offering greater transparency and reducing supply chain risks.
While no solution can guarantee 100% protection, combining PC Matic’s proactive security features with staff training and infrastructure modernization can help turn the tide against cyberattacks targeting emergency systems.
The Funding Gap: Next-Generation 911 Left Out of Federal Budget
Despite the urgency, federal funding for next-generation 911 initiatives is conspicuously absent from the current budget reconciliation bill under Senate review. Without robust financial support, many emergency centers will struggle to adopt the modern tools they need.
The report concludes with a call to action: emergency agencies must adopt a unified strategy that combines people, process, and platform to truly modernize the system.
“Agencies that weave these threads into a single modernization roadmap … stand the best chance of breaking the cycle of call-center challenges and delivering a more resilient, human-centric 9-1-1 system in the coming years.”
Final Thoughts: A System in Need of Urgent Care
The 911 system is often taken for granted — until the moment we need it most. But behind that simple three-digit number lies a complex, aging infrastructure increasingly vulnerable to failure and attack.
The findings from Carbyne and NENA are clear: the status quo is no longer sustainable. Without urgent investments in cybersecurity, modernization, and workforce support, the nation’s emergency communications system risks becoming a liability instead of a lifeline.
Public agencies, technology partners, and private citizens must come together to demand — and implement — stronger cyber protections.
Because when lives are on the line, every second matters.
