LEXINGTON, KY (PRWEB) APRIL 15, 2017 – An unauthorized individual set off 156 sirens periodically for 90 minutes in Dallas, Texas, on April 7, scaring and inconveniencing the city’s 1.3 million citizens. Following this event, CentrAlert advises that emergency managers ensure their alert systems have the capability to prevent hacking.

“The Dallas incident serves as a crucial reminder for emergency managers across the country to update their systems to remove vulnerabilities to attacks by unauthorized users,” Jeff Whattam, CEO of CentrAlert, said. “With proper safety and security, citizens can rest assured that alarms are always prepared to function properly if an emergency occurs.”

The Safety of C-DAC

CentrAlert’s Crisis-Driven Alert & Control (C-DAC) product has been equipped with Secure Communication Network (SCN) protocol with integrated, time-based encryption and synchronized algorithms. This feature has been available for more than a decade and has never had a reported breach or unauthorized activation.

Each time the operator initiates C-DAC, the Guardian interface generates a unique SCN code. C-DAC then sends this code to those sirens equipped with CentrAlert’s Remote Terminal Unit. This means the sirens will never go off without the proper SCN code. More importantly, a hacker cannot duplicate the codes because they change with each transmission. Additionally, C-DAC’s Hardware Authentication prevents people from using unauthorized software with the system.

Ultimately, the Dallas emergency management team shut down the entire emergency system. While this did turn off the sirens, it also left the city temporarily without a functioning system. CentrAlert products, on the other hand, require every user to be an authenticated Microsoft Windows user. Therefore, offending accounts can be disabled or removed without preventing other users from activating the system should an emergency occur. Whether the hacker is activating the system internally or externally, disabling the account in question will immediately stop the hacker from tampering with the alerts.

For more information about CentrAlert or Crisis-Driven Alert & Control, visit our home page or contact us.

About CentrAlert

CentrAlert created and designed Crisis-Driven Alert & Control (C-DAC), the world’s first site-wide emergency alert and notification system. Twenty years and five generations later, C-DAC protects NASA, DOW Chemical, Stanford University, Shell and other leading industries across four continents. Whether you need to synchronize your current system or require an entire emergency alert and notification infrastructure, CentrAlert can help. Our engineers and software developers provide proven, standardized and secure products to protect any environment.