City Officials: Hack Caused 156 Emergency Sirens To Go Off In Dallas

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Residents in Dallas had a rude awakening Friday night when 156 emergency sirens wailed throughout the city, and officials are saying the sirens were triggered by a hack.

City officials say the sirens were triggered just before 11:45 p.m. Friday and that the Office of Emergency Management went through protocols to turn them off.

The OEM successfully deactivated the siren system at around 1:20 a.m. Saturday while trying to determine what caused them to trigger.

Officials were able to confirm Saturday afternoon Dallas' emergency siren system was hacked.

The city cannot say how the system was hacked, but it believes the hack was done within the Dallas area.

Mayor Mike Rawlings responded to the hack by saying, "Last night's hack was an attack on our emergency notification system. We will work to identify and prosecute those responsible."

Rawlings described the situation as an example of the city's need to upgrade and safeguard the city's technology infrastructure.

The FCC was notified to assist in identifying the source of hack according to city officials. The city is also working to put in safeguards to avoid these types of hacks again.

City officials say the priority is working to reactive the siren system and work will be done through the weekend.

Residents are asked to be patient and to avoid calling 911 or 311 as the sirens may sound again during reactivation.