NORWICH – Recent scares of online hacking have the Chenango County 911 dispatch center taking steps to strengthen its own cyber security.

Safety officials appeared before the county’s Safety and Rules Committee on Wednesday to discuss the matter and suggest what can be done to ward off potential attacks on the their online network.

A leading concern is the county’s 911 call center which has transitioned from traditional copper phone lines to an internet based system over the years. Calls and texts to 911 are stored on servers located in different parts of the country, making the entire network susceptible to hacking by outsiders.

The call center keeping pace with 21st century technology sparks fear that hackers might not only infiltrate the county’s 911 system, but also the network of the correctional facility where the call center is located.