The town is updating residents on a “significant national cybersecurity incident” that disrupted its CodeRed emergency alert system, which is now being run by the affiliated company Crisis24. CodeRed had about 13,000 subscribers in Marblehead, according to Fire Chief Jason Gilliland.
The cyberattack happened in November of 2025. “The town is currently working closely with Crisis24 about ongoing notifications and updates,” according to a statement from the town Thursday morning. “The town is also considering options for notification systems to ensure Marblehead has reliable, secure emergency notification capability moving forward.”
The data breach has “exposed user data, including phone numbers, email addresses and passwords,” according to the statement.
According to Gilliland, CodeRed never said that passwords were at risk and that he just learned that yesterday, Jan. 28.
“We were under the impression that the transition from CodeRed to Crisis24 would be seamless, but it’s been a complete debacle,” Gilliland told the Current.
Because the investigation remains ongoing, the town said residents should remain cautious and follow these steps:
- If you previously created a CodeRED profile/password, change any passwords that were reused across other personal or business accounts.
- Be alert for phishing or scam messages that may impersonate the town, public safety agencies or notification vendors.
- Confirm Wireless Emergency Alerts are enabled on your mobile device (WEA is separate from CodeRED and continues to operate during vendor outages).
- Monitor your accounts and personal information for suspicious activity and report suspected fraud through appropriate channels.
The town is interviewing two new emergency alert companies and hopes to get out of its contract with CodeRed at soon as possible. Moving forward, and with a nor’easter forecast for this weekend, Gilliland says the town will rely on text and email alerts, as well as social media and electric billboards,
Anyone with questions is encouraged to visit marbleheadma.gov or contact Fire Chief Jason Gilliland at gillilandj@marbleheadma.gov.
