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Marblehead to replace hacked CodeRED system with $6,500 Regroup contract
After a cyberattack crippled its emergency alert platform and rattled residents during a string of winter storms, the town is moving to a new mass notification system at a cost of $6,500 for the first year.
Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer announced this week that Marblehead will transition from CodeRED, now operated by Crisis24, to a system run by Regroup.
The change comes months after the legacy CodeRED platform was targeted in a national cybersecurity incident. Fire Chief Jason Gilliland said in a public update that the vendor reported the system was “taken offline and permanently decommissioned” following the attack. While 9-1-1 services and municipal networks were not affected, the breach exposed user data, including phone numbers, email addresses and passwords.
Throughout the winter, local officials experienced firsthand the fallout.
“We had some challenges with our Code Red mass notification system,” Kezer told the Select Board. During several storms, the town encountered “inconsistent delivery to subscribers, unclear recorded messages, and calls appearing to originate from out-of-state numbers.” The system’s database of roughly 8,000 contacts had to be rebuilt after the breach, and it never fully recovered to its previous level, he said.
With snowstorms arriving days apart and parking bans and weather alerts dependent on reliable communication, Kezer said the town could not afford further uncertainty.
“Given how critical that system is,” he said, town officials began evaluating alternatives, working with public safety leadership to identify a replacement.
Regroup, the company selected, offers similar core capabilities — including phone calls, text messages and emails — but also allows residents to customize the types of alerts they receive. Users can opt in only to emergency notifications or choose additional categories, such as community announcements.
The one-year agreement totals $6,500 and includes full migration of the town’s existing contact data by the vendor. The cost falls below the $10,000 threshold requiring Select Board approval and is covered under an existing budget line item.
Kezer said the town may consider a multi-year contract after evaluating the system’s performance, which could reduce the annual cost.
Gilliland urged residents to remain cautious in the wake of the breach, advising those who previously created CodeRED profiles to change reused passwords and to watch for phishing messages impersonating the town or public safety agencies.
Town officials said they will launch a public information campaign to encourage residents to confirm their contact information and re-enroll if necessary once the new system is operational.
“We acted swiftly,” Kezer said, “to secure a reliable mass notification system that meets Marblehead’s needs during the winter season and beyond.”
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