Blue Earth County, MN – Residents across Minnesota are facing disruptions to emergency notifications today after a targeted cyberattack forced the shutdown of the CodeRED alert system used by Blue Earth County and other public safety agencies nationwide.
According to the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office, the OnSolve CodeRED platform—commonly used for weather warnings, community alerts, and emergency messaging—was compromised during a November cyber incident. As a result, CodeRED notifications will no longer be available until further notice, affecting numerous agencies both in Minnesota and across the United States.
The vendor reported that personal information tied to user profiles may have been exposed, including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and, in some cases, passwords used for CodeRED accounts. According to the vendor, residents who reused the same password for other online accounts should change those passwords immediately to reduce security risks.
The Sheriff’s Office emphasized that public safety operations will continue without interruption. Officials are currently evaluating alternative alerting systems with the goal of launching a new platform in early January 2026.
In the meantime, critical alerts will be delivered through the federal IPAWS system, which includes Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS). Less urgent updates will be issued through social media channels and local media partners until a replacement system is fully deployed.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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