Firewall issue caused Massachusetts' two-hour 911 outage, officials say

The two-hour long outage of Massachusetts 911 service on Tuesday was caused by a firewall, according to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

A preliminary investigation found that a firewall — a cybersecurity software system used to prevent hacking — stopped calls from getting through to 911 dispatch centers, the public safety office said in a press release. Comtech, the state's 911 service provider, found while the initial review shows the outage was caused by the firewall, it doesn't appear to be a result of a cyberattack, according to the release.

The cause of why the firewall stopped calls from coming in is still under review, the state office said. Comtech said they have deployed a technological solution to prevent the firewall outage from occurring again.

The outage was first detected by the Massachusetts State 911 Department at 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday. It lasted about two hours until operations were restored at 3:15 p.m. The State 911 Department said it did not receive "any reports of emergencies impacted during the interruption."

In 2023, 911 dispatch centers received an average of 8,800 calls a day, according to the state office.

During Tuesday's outage, alerts blared on cellphones across the state warning residents of the downed system. The Boston Fire Department encouraged residents to use their local fire box in the event of emergency or to call the fire department directly.

The loss of 911 service came on the first day of a heat wave that sent temperatures into the 90s.