A cyberattack caused a nearly daylong outage of the nation's new 988 mental health helpline late last year, federal officials told The Associated Press Friday.
Part of the 988helpline.org website is photographed Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. A cyberattack caused a nearly daylong outage of the nation's new 988 mental health helpline on Dec. 1, 20222, federal officials tell The Associated Press. Lawmakers are now calling for the federal agency that oversees the program to prevent future attacks. (AP Photo/Jon Elswickof the nation's new 988 mental health helpline late last year, federal officials told The Associated Press Friday.
The attack occurred on the network for Intrado, the company that provides telecommunications services for the helpline. The agency did not disclose details about who it believes launched the attack or what kind of cyberattack occurred. Intrado is working with a third-party assessor to investigate the incident and law enforcement agencies have been notified of the breach, SAMHSA said.
Those who tried on Dec. 1 to reach the line for help with suicidal or depressive thoughts were instead greeted with a message that said the line is “experiencing a service outage.” Text and chat services, however, remained available to those who needed help. Last week, Democrat Rep. Tony Cárdenas and Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte, both of California, introduced a bill calling for better coordination and reporting around cyberattacks on the 988 system.
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