Victoria Fire and Rescue Service, Australia (FRV)

2022: Due to a cyber attack, automation disappeared, firefighters returned to the walkie-talkies

On December 16, 2022, it became known that the Australian Fire and Rescue Service in Victoria (Fire Rescue Victoria, FRV) was forced to disconnect its IT network and go offline due to a cyber attack.

The hacker intrusion reportedly triggered a "massive glitch" affecting email, phone service and FRV emergency dispatch systems that automate firefighters - such as opening station doors as soon as an emergency call arrives. FRV operates 85 stations across the state, including Melbourne, home to about 6.5 million people. The structure was created in 2020 as part of a program aimed at modernizing state fire and rescue services.

Australian Fire and Rescue Service hit by cyber attack

As a result of the attack, Victorian fire brigades had to switch to walkie-talkies, pagers and mobile phones. It is emphasized that even in this mode, the fire and rescue service quickly responds to calls, although it was necessary to attract additional employees to work so that someone would always listen to the radio and answer mobile calls.

According to representatives of the service, IT systems may remain inoperable for four days - while the incident is being investigated. Interruptions in the computer network were first recorded in the early morning of December 15, 2022, but at that time this was not associated with a cyber attack. Although the attack mainly affected the emergency dispatch system, the fire service had to shut down its entire IT network as a precaution. The fire service is working "24/7" with local cybersecurity companies and government entities to restore and run its systems and find the cause of the breach, it said. It is also specified that the attackers did not make any demands for redemption.^[1]

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