INDUSTRY FOCUS

Swatting is not Amusing

You have noticed and read the news, chaos and disruption, society veering away from the norm. At least the normal that was familiar to us. Without focusing on the grim reality of mass shootings, there is another crazy thing happening.

Swatting. This is an act of creating a hoax 911 call, typically the caller reporting hostages, gunfire or other acts of extreme violence. The goal is to divert law enforcement and emergency responders to a person’s residence, or in some cases, a campus setting.

This act is deliberate, and is a malicious act that creates an atmosphere of fear and unnecessary risk. In fact, a responding law enforcement officer shot and killed an unintended victim, all because of swatting.

It is not amusing.

There are laws and penalties, but swatting continues to be an issue. Law enforcement find it hard to enforce because swatters use sophisticated techniques to hide their identity. Often times, the swatter uses ID spoofing, using software to make it appear that it is a local call, but they could be anywhere in the world.

Campus security is taking the larger portion of prank calls. Officers respond swiftly to a call from a campus. Once they arrive, it will be with guns drawn. In early February, police in Saginaw Township, MI, rammed a cruiser through the locked front doors at Nouvel Catholic Central High School. Reportedly, two students shot.

It boggles my mind what a person who makes this kind of call might be thinking. It reminds of some wayward student pulling the fire alarm, back in the day. It was not funny then, and it sure is not funny today.

“We cannot empower people like this, nor let them undermine the emotional well-being of our students and our team,” wrote Eric Swain, principal of Clovis West High School in Fresno, Calif., in a letter to parents, informing them that classes would continue after the school dealt with swatting calls Feb. 3 and 6.

This article originally appeared in the March / April 2023 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • Maximizing Your Security Budget This Year

    Perimeter Security Standards for Multi-Site Businesses

    When you run or own a business that has multiple locations, it is important to set clear perimeter security standards. By doing this, it allows you to assess and mitigate any potential threats or risks at each site or location efficiently and effectively. Read Now

  • New Research Shows a Continuing Increase in Ransomware Victims

    GuidePoint Security recently announced the release of GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team’s (GRIT) Q1 2024 Ransomware Report. In addition to revealing a nearly 20% year-over-year increase in the number of ransomware victims, the GRIT Q1 2024 Ransomware Report observes major shifts in the behavioral patterns of ransomware groups following law enforcement activity – including the continued targeting of previously “off-limits” organizations and industries, such as emergency hospitals. Read Now

  • OpenAI's GPT-4 Is Capable of Autonomously Exploiting Zero-Day Vulnerabilities

    According to a new study from four computer scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, OpenAI’s paid chatbot, GPT-4, is capable of autonomously exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities without any human assistance. Read Now

  • Getting in Someone’s Face

    There was a time, not so long ago, when the tradeshow industry must have thought COVID-19 might wipe out face-to-face meetings. It sure seemed that way about three years ago. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
Most   Popular

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • ComNet CNGE6FX2TX4PoE

    The ComNet cost-efficient CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is a six-port switch that offers four Gbps TX ports that support the IEEE802.3at standard and provide up to 30 watts of PoE to PDs. It also has a dedicated FX/TX combination port as well as a single FX SFP to act as an additional port or an uplink port, giving the user additional options in managing network traffic. The CNGE6FX2TX4PoE is designed for use in unconditioned environments and typically used in perimeter surveillance. 3

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols. 3

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.” 3