The Scoop on 911
Review by Emmanuel Goldstein
It otherwise would have been a quickly forgotten text published in a hacker newsletter. But due to all of the commotion, the BellSouth E911 document is now very much in the public eye. Copies are extremely easy to come by, despite BellSouth's assertion that the whole thing is worth $79,449.
While we can't publish the actual document, we can report on its contents since it's become a news story in itself. But don't get excited. There really isn't all that much here.
Certain acronyms are introduced, among them Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), also known as Emergency Service Bureau (ESB). This is what you get (in telco lingo) when you dial 911. The importance of close coordination between these agencies is stressed. Selective routing allows the 911 call to be routed to the proper PSAP. The #1A ESS is used as the tandem office for this routing. Certain services made available with E911 include Forced Disconnect, Alternative Routing, Selective Routing, Selective Transfer, Default Routing, Night Service, Automatic Number Identification, and Automatic Location Identification.
We learn of the existence of the E911 Implementation Team, the brave men and women from Network Marketing who help with configuration in the difficult cut-over period. This team is in charge of forming an ongoing maintenance subcommittee. We wouldn't want that juicy tidbit to get out, now would we?
We learn that the Switching Control Center (SCC) "is responsible for E911/1AESS translations in tandem central offices." We're not exactly shocked by this revelation.
We also find out what is considered a "priority one" trouble report. Any link down to the PSAP fits this definition. We also learn that when ANI fails, the screens will display all zeroes.
We could go on but we really don't want to bore you. None of this information would allow a hacker to gain access to such a system. All it affords is a chance to understand the administrative functions a little better. We'd like to assume that any outside interference to a 911 system is impossible. Does BellSouth know otherwise? In light of their touchiness on the matter, we have to wonder.
We'd be most interested in hearing from people with more technical knowledge on the subject. What does this whole escapade tell us? Please write or call so the facts can be brought forward.