Cyber Incident Victim: Riley County Emergency Management
Date:
Apr 2024
Location:
United States of America
Summary
A cybersecurity incident disrupted Riley County’s P25 public safety radio communication system, prompting emergency responders to switch to backup state systems for interoperable communications. The outage affected police, fire, and emergency medical services but did not impact 911 operations or public access, as dispatch maintained call reception, resource coordination, and siren activation via redundant consoles. The county declared a local disaster emergency to facilitate resource requests from the state, emphasizing the isolated nature of the radio system from other technology infrastructure. No personal or financial data was compromised. The incident remains under active investigation while responders operate on temporary channels.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 0 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On April 1, 2024, Riley County’s P25 public safety agency radio communication system lost connectivity during a cybersecurity incident discovered early that morning. The disruption affected all intra-agency communications for police, fire, and emergency medical services across the county. Emergency responders immediately switched to the backup state radio system to maintain operational capabilities. The Riley County Board of County Commissioners convened a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. the same day, issuing a local disaster emergency declaration to facilitate requests for additional communications resources from the State of Kansas. Russel Stukey, Riley County Emergency Response Director, confirmed dispatch consoles retained functionality through backup systems, preserving 911 call reception, resource dispatch coordination, responder communications, and outdoor warning siren activation despite the primary radio outage. First responders temporarily operated on an alternate radio channel while county officials investigated the incident.
The cybersecurity incident exclusively impacted the isolated P25 radio network, which is architecturally separate from Riley County’s other technology and communication infrastructures. No personal, financial, or organizational data breaches occurred in connection with the event. The disruption did not extend to public-facing systems or compromise emergency call handling. Riley County Emergency Management activated its disaster agency protocols to coordinate response efforts across all municipal and rural jurisdictions within the county. Officials emphasized uninterrupted interoperability among response agencies through the backup system while maintaining an active investigation into the incident’s origin and scope. No timeline for full system restoration was disclosed as of the initial reporting date.