Spokane County

Profile narrative

Spokane County operates as a local government entity responsible for delivering emergency alert notifications to residents within its jurisdiction through the ALERT Spokane program. This service relies on the OnSolve CodeRED platform, which is owned by Crisis24, to disseminate timely warnings about hazards such as natural disasters, public safety threats, and other urgent situations. By maintaining this alerting capability, the county aims to ensure that community members receive critical information quickly, enabling them to take protective actions and stay informed during emergencies. The alert system integrates with broader state and federal notification networks, allowing the county to supplement its own messages with those issued by higher‑level authorities when needed. In addition to managing the technical platform, county officials oversee the administration of user accounts, monitor system performance, and coordinate with emergency management personnel to maintain readiness. The service is intended to serve the entire population of Spokane County, covering both urban and rural areas across the region.

In November 2025, the county experienced a significant disruption when hackers compromised the Crisis24‑owned OnSolve CodeRED platform, preventing officials from accessing the ALERT Spokane system for approximately one week. During this period, the county had to rely on state and federal alert services to convey emergency information while the affected platform was effectively destroyed and later decommissioned by the provider. Although Crisis24 asserted that county user data remained uncompromised, the attackers obtained usernames, phone numbers, and outdated passwords from other subscribers and shared screenshots of the stolen credentials, an action linked to the INC Ransomware group. The provider’s initial ransom demand of one hundred thousand dollars, later raised to one hundred fifty thousand, was rejected by the county. Following the incident, Spokane County activated alternative backup systems to restore alerting functionality and decided to terminate its relationship with Crisis24, actively seeking a new vendor to provide a more resilient and secure emergency notification solution. This episode highlighted the county’s dependence on third‑party technology for public safety communications and underscored its commitment to improving the reliability and security of its alerting infrastructure.

Incidents

1 incident linked to this organisation.