Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) reintroduced the 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act to strengthen the cybersecurity protocols for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, also known as the 988 Lifeline, in response to previous outages that resulted in a day-long outage for those in crisis.

“Increasing cybersecurity measures for the 988 Lifeline is imperative to suicide prevention,” said Senator Mullin. “Suicide is a heartbreaking tragedy, and every life lost is one too many. It is essential to keep the lifeline secure to ensure that those experiencing a mental health crisis have access to the resources and support they need when they need it most.”

“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,” said Senator Padilla. “Our bipartisan bill would better identify and prevent cyberattacks to protect safe and secure access to the Lifeline as soon as people need it.”

The cyberattack on the 988 Lifeline in December of 2022 exposed vulnerabilities in the system and individuals who tried to call the suicide prevention hotline were instead greeted with a recorded message informing them of the service outage. Since its launch in July of 2022, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has received 10.8 million contacts, with 1.4 million of those being within the Veteran’s Crisis Line. The lifeline’s services are critically important.

Mullin and Padilla’s legislation requires coordination between the Lifeline and the Chief Information Security Officer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to prevent cybersecurity attacks and eliminate known vulnerabilities. The suicide hotline’s network administrator would also be required to notify the government of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents within 24 hours of discovery. Lastly, the Government Accountability Office would be required to conduct a study evaluating cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities in the 988 system.

Any person in crisis and in need of help can dial 9-8-8 to reach free and confidential professional support 24/7 or can visit 988lifeline.org/chat/ to start a free and confidential conversation. Click HERE to learn more about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

The 988 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act is supported by the following groups: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Psychiatric Association, Crisis Text Line, inseparable, Mental Health America, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, National Alliance on Mental Illness, The Jed Foundation, and Vibrant Emotional Health. 

###