The City of Long Beach has alerted its citizens about a significant cybersecurity breach affecting the emergency notification system used by municipalities across the nation, including their own branded version "Alert Long Beach." The breach occurred within systems previously owned by OnSolve CodeRED (CodeRED) but not on the new platform managed by the company that recently acquired it, Crisis24.
In a transition where customer data was moved from CodeRED to the new Crisis24 platform, an attack on the previous CodeRED system, now referred to as CodeRED by Crisis24 (Crisis24), might have left user information vulnerable, including names, addresses, and contact details. According to the release from City of Long Beach, sensitive details such as dates of birth and social security numbers were not compromised, given that the platform does not collect this category of information.
Crisis24 insists, in a statement obtained by the City of Long Beach, that their new platform remains secure and unaffected by the breach. However, they are advising all users who may have reused their CodeRED passwords on other personal or business accounts to change them promptly. For those impacted or with concerns, Crisis24 can be reached at 866.939.0911 or via email at [email protected].
The City of Long Beach is in talks with Crisis24 to gauge the full extent of the breach and its origins. As they sort through the implications of the cyber attack, they reassure the public that emergency communications remain intact; the Wireless Emergency Alerts will continue as usual. Should residents have further questions regarding the incident or emergency notifications, they can contact the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications at [email protected]. For media inquiries, Luis Valdez, the Disaster Preparedness Officer, can be reached at 562.570.9251 or via email at [email protected].
Lastly, those interested in reviewing the Crisis24 notification sent to the City, or in browsing a list of FAQs relating to the incident, can find pertinent information on the City's Disaster Preparedness webpage. As Long Beach navigates through the repercussions of this national security mishap, the community is advised to stay alert and monitor their accounts for any unusual activity.
