CodeRED Alert System Compromised by Nation Wide Cyberattack

The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office is providing notice that the Onsolve CodeRED platform used for public alerting by our agency was the victim of a targeted cyber-attack in November. As a result, CodeRED alerts, including weather warnings, will no longer be available. This incident appears to have impacted numerous public safety agencies in Minnesota and across the United States.

Details from the vendor have been limited but we were told the affected personal information that may have been impacted was limited to names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and/or associated passwords used to create user profiles for alerts. According to the vendor, “If users have the same password for any other accounts, those passwords should be changed immediately.”

The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to public safety and is in the process of evaluating alternative systems with the intent of going live early in January 2026. In the interim, we have enacted backup protocols for critical public alerting messages using the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System “IPAWS.” Less critical information will be relayed through social media and traditional communication with local media organizations.