Massachusetts' state 911 system experienced a disruption for approximately two hours on Tuesday, with a preliminary investigation revealing that a firewall designed to enhance cybersecurity was responsible for the outage. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, in collaboration with vendor Comtech, determined that the firewall had inadvertently prevented calls from reaching the 911 dispatch centers.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security stated that the interruption was not caused by a cyberattack or hacking. However, the exact reason for the firewall's failure remains under review. Comtech, the vendor responsible for the system, has not yet provided a comment regarding the incident.

As part of their ongoing investigation, Comtech has implemented a technical solution to prevent similar occurrences in the future. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security reassured the public that they are committed to delivering reliable and state-of-the-art 911 services to residents and visitors during emergencies.

The 911 system outage began at approximately 1:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday and was resolved by 3:15 p.m. The State 911 Department expressed gratitude for the patience and cooperation shown by the public during the disruption.

Frank Pozniak, the Executive Director of the State 911 Department, emphasized their determination to prevent such incidents from recurring. He highlighted that the department will take all necessary measures to uphold their commitment to providing reliable emergency services to Massachusetts residents and visitors.

This disturbance serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining robust and resilient emergency infrastructure. As investigations continue into the specific cause of the firewall malfunction, authorities will work diligently to ensure the preparedness and effectiveness of the state's 911 system moving forward.