When it finally happens, the end of the world will likely begin like this: with wailing sirens tearing through the night sky sending chills down your spine as you contemplate if you've lived a good and meaningful life.
Thankfully, we're not there yet, but if you live in Dallas, Texas, you got a preview of that terrifying moment on Friday night.
SEE ALSO:Goodbye internet privacy, we hardly knew youBeginning around 11:44 p.m., all 156 of the outdoor warning sirens meant to alert the residents of Dallas (population 1.3 million) of impending disaster bellowed across the city.
There was no immediate explanation, and the sirens didn't stop.
Many people, naturally, found the sirens unsettling and some took to Twitter to post video of the incident while the city collectively wondered what impending doom the sirens might be warning of.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
When city officials finally attempted to calm the nerves those wondering what the hell was going on they said the system malfunctioned. But that didn't stop the speculation, or the dark humor.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Dallas's fire dispatch and its office of emergency management pulled the plug on the sirens, after more than an hour and a half of blaring, at about 1:20 a.m.
But the sirens weren't signaling the end of the world (or end of Dallas), and they were notmalfunctioning, as early reports indicated. The panic was the result of a hacking attack on the city's emergency alert system.
"It does appear at this time that it was a hack, and we do believe that this came from the Dallas area," officials from the City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management office confirmed to the media via Facebook on Saturday. "We can't talk a whole lot about the hack itself, because obviously we don’t want this to happen again."
In order to get the sirens to stop, the city had to disconnect the system, which had been triggered to activate the sirens over 60 times. The system is still down and the city is relying on other mass notification systems including reverse 911 and social media for emergencies.
Dallas is located in a part of the U.S. often referred to as "tornado alley" due to the high frequency of tornadoes, and those sirens are often used to warn residents of an impending tornado event. So while most of the jokes and concerns on social media didn’t mention much about weather, because of their traditional use, locals take those sirens very seriously.
The city hopes to have the alert system back up and running by Sunday night or Monday afternoon.
TopicsCybersecurity
(责任编辑：焦點)
Tyler, the Creator helped Frank Ocean celebrate 'Blonde' release in a delicious way
Skullcandy Push Ultra earbuds review: Decent to use and hard to lose
Twitter spams Trump's COVID tweet with copypasta in Amharic
Yeah, 'Emily in Paris' is bad. But the memes are so so good.
Here's George Takei chilling in zero gravity for the 'Star Trek' anniversaryFelix the cat just raised £5000 for charity because she's the hero we all need
LONDON -- Remember Felix, the Huddersfield train station cat who got promoted to Senior Pest Control
...[详细]Apple Watch Series 6 puts an emphasis on tracking blood oxygen levels.
In case one new Apple Watch wasn't enough for you, Apple unveiled twoat its product event on Tuesday
...[详细]Taylor Swift donates $30,000 to help student afford university
If you've listened to her new album folklore, you'll already be more than aware of Taylor Swift's ab
...[详细]Militia used Facebook to plan kidnapping of Michigan governor, FBI claims
Violent militia groups have long had a thing for Facebook, and a newly foiled violent plot makes cle
...[详细]You will love/hate Cards Against Humanity's new fortune cookies
If you've ever ordered Cards Against Humanity from the delightfully corrupt board game's website, yo
...[详细]Did Dashboard Confessional inspire this Taylor Swift lyric?
On Friday, Taylor Swift surprise-dropped her eighth studio album, folklore, whichsent fans into a de
...[详细]Militia used Facebook to plan kidnapping of Michigan governor, FBI claims
Violent militia groups have long had a thing for Facebook, and a newly foiled violent plot makes cle
...[详细]An interview with Ryan Creamer, Pornhub's most wholesome star
Welcome to Porn Week, Mashable's annual close up on the business and pleasure of porn.When I learned
...[详细]This German startup wants to be your bank (without being a bank)
BERLIN -- “That is f*cking clever,” said Ben Floyd, 33, as we sat in a trendy cafe in Be
...[详细]Olivia Wilde will direct a Sony Marvel movie, possibly featuring spiders
It looks like Sony's web of spider-heroes just caught an incredibly juicy fly. Deadline reports that
...[详细]
