A city in California declared a local emergency after a cyberattack disrupted 911 calls and police and fire dispatch.
Suisun City, northeast of San Francisco, first reported the mysterious attack on Friday, saying it initially impacted “services at City Hall and public safety departments.” On Saturday, the city council then “declared a state of emergency” during a special meeting.
The attack occurred after “malicious software infected and compromised IT systems” on Friday morning. “The cybersecurity incident hit critical public safety operations, including 911 routing, police and fire dispatch, records, and City services. To contain the threat and preserve evidence for a federal investigation, the City shut down its entire IT network,” its statement says.
It’s unclear whether the attack involved ransomware, which can encrypt entire fleets of computers. Suisun, home to about 29,000 people, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Another looming threat has been suspected Iranian hackers targeting water utilities across the US.
For now, the city is telling residents: “There is no imminent threat to the public. All public safety services remain active. Suisun City dispatchers are continuing to take calls through the Solano County dispatch center, and Suisun City PD and Fire continue to respond to calls for service.”
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The city is also working with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and California Office of Emergency Services to maintain emergency services and investigate the hack.
Suisun said it declared the state of emergency to “quickly access emergency support services and to recoup costs incurred as a result of the cybersecurity incident.”
About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Principal Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
Areas of Expertise
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