CodeRed Emergency Notification System

The Village was notified that CodeRED experienced a cybersecurity incident that affected its national alerting network. While the incident has been contained, it resulted in service disruptions for many communities, including Westchester.

CodeRED has indicated that some user information may have been compromised, including names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers, as well as passwords associated with CodeRED-created accounts. Please note that accounts created through the Village’s platforms did not include passwords. However, residents who registered directly through CodeRED’s website or app may have had a password associated with their profile. The Village has requested additional clarification from CodeRED regarding the extent of the incident, but the vendor has not provided complete details. If you had a CodeRED password and reused it on other websites or services, we recommend updating those passwords as a precaution.

As part of their response to the incident, CodeRED permanently decommissioned the platform and began transitioning customers to a new product under Crisis24 Solutions. At this time, the Village of Westchester—along with many municipalities—has instead chosen to move to an alternative emergency-notification provider. As a result, all CodeRED accounts used by Westchester residents have been deactivated.

Westchester is already in the process of onboarding with Everbridge, which offers comparable emergency communication capabilities. Staff is actively completing system setup, configuration, testing and training. Once the platform is fully operational, we will provide registration instructions for residents. In the meantime, we will continue to use our digital platforms—such as our website, e-newsletter, and Facebook page—for pertinent notifications.

We will keep residents informed as the transition to Everbridge progresses. If you have any questions, please contact Community Service Officer Dave Kosir at dkosir@westchester-il.gov