OKC Standard

U.S. Senators Markwayne Mullin and Alex Padilla have reintroduced the 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act in an effort to enhance cybersecurity protocols for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This action comes in response to previous outages, including a day-long outage, that affected those seeking crisis support.

Senator Markwayne Mullin emphasized the importance of the legislation, stating, "Increasing cybersecurity measures for the 988 Lifeline is imperative to suicide prevention. Suicide is a heartbreaking tragedy, and every life lost is one too many." He highlighted the necessity of a secure lifeline to ensure individuals in a mental health crisis can access needed resources and support.

Senator Alex Padilla echoed these concerns, commenting, "People struggling with their mental health shouldn’t be met with disruptions or service outages when they call the 9-8-8 Lifeline. We can’t let cybersecurity vulnerabilities get in the way of providing lifesaving support." The bipartisan bill aims to enhance the identification and prevention of cyberattacks to safeguard access to the lifeline.

The legislation's impetus was a cyberattack on the 988 Lifeline in December 2022, which revealed system vulnerabilities. This cyber incident resulted in individuals reaching a recorded message about the service outage rather than receiving real-time support. Since its inception in July 2022, the lifeline has handled 10.8 million contacts, with 1.4 million through the Veteran’s Crisis Line, highlighting its critical role.

Mullin and Padilla's bill mandates coordination between the Lifeline and the Chief Information Security Officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to mitigate cybersecurity threats. The suicide hotline’s network administrator would have to report vulnerabilities and incidents to the government within 24 hours of discovery. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office would be tasked with evaluating cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities in the 988 system.

Individuals in crisis can reach free, confidential support by dialing 9-8-8 around the clock or can engage in conversation at 988lifeline.org/chat/. The legislation has backing from various organizations, including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the American Psychiatric Association, the Crisis Text Line, and several other mental health-focused organizations.