Earlier today, a ransomware attack disabled the nationwide emergency alert system used by local and federal agencies. The outage forced several states to switch to backup channels while teams worked to contain the breach.
Staff in multiple control rooms first noticed that alerts were not sending. Soon after, technicians found locked files and frozen consoles. The attack spread quickly inside the system because several key servers shared the same network path.
Federal security teams moved in to block the infected machines. They cut access to several regions to stop the attack from reaching other parts of the network. This helped slow the damage, but it also prevented agencies from sending routine warnings and weather notices.
Local officials reported delays in posting fire updates, missing test alerts, and slower communication with first-responders. Some smaller towns relied on radio stations and local police dispatches until the system came back online.
By late afternoon, parts of the alert network were restored, but several sections still ran in limited mode.