In December 2025, Cuyahoga County issued an urgent warning that rippled across Northeast Ohio. The county’s emergency alert system, ReadyNotify, had been compromised through a cybersecurity incident affecting the third-party CodeRED platform. Subscriber data, including names, phone numbers, and email addresses, was potentially exposed to unauthorized parties.
If a system designed to protect communities during emergencies can fall victim to cybercriminals, what does that mean for your business? For small and medium-sized companies across Ohio, this incident reinforces a critical reality: cyberattacks do not discriminate by size, industry, or perceived importance. Every organization with digital systems is a potential target.
The Growing Cyber Threat Facing Ohio Businesses
The Cuyahoga County breach was not an isolated event. Throughout 2025, organizations across Ohio faced a surge in cyberattacks. Union County disclosed a ransomware attack that compromised personal data for over 45,000 individuals. The City of Middletown had to pause in-person services for days following a separate incident. West Chester Township was hit twice in a single month.
Nationally, the numbers are equally alarming. According to industry research, 43% of all cyberattacks now target small and medium-sized businesses, with 61% of small businesses reporting at least one cyberattack in the past year. With cybercrime costs projected to reach $10.5 trillion globally by 2025, the financial stakes for unprepared businesses are severe.
What makes these threats especially dangerous for Ohio companies is a common pattern: insufficient 24/7 system monitoring, gaps in employee training, and a reactive approach to cybersecurity that only addresses problems after they cause damage. When the Village of Golf Manor was hit with ransomware that encrypted all files and backups, officials faced the difficult decision of whether to pay a ransom for data recovery. In contrast, Trumbull County successfully thwarted an attempted attack by working swiftly with cybersecurity response teams, and the difference came down to preparation.
Why a Reactive Approach Falls Short
Too many Ohio businesses still assume that antivirus software and a basic firewall provide enough protection. But as the Cuyahoga County breach showed, vulnerabilities often lie outside your own systems – particularly with third-party vendors. The county’s own IT systems were not connected to the CodeRED platform, yet subscriber data was exposed through a vendor compromise. This pattern, where attackers target service providers to access broader networks of data, has become one of the most common vectors for cyberattacks in 2025.
For businesses that rely on cloud services, payment processors, or any external software platform, the takeaway is clear. Your cybersecurity posture is only as strong as the weakest link in your technology supply chain. Addressing that reality requires proactive maintenance, continuous threat monitoring, and a structured approach to data compliance that accounts for every system your business touches.
How an Ohio IT Support Company Can Strengthen Your Defenses
Building robust cybersecurity protections does not require an enterprise-level budget. It requires strategic thinking, consistent implementation, and the guidance of a trusted IT support company that understands the challenges facing local businesses. Here is how Cyber Express helps Ohio companies strengthen their defenses.
24/7 System Monitoring and Proactive Maintenance
Modern cyberattacks often occur outside of business hours. The most sophisticated threats operate quietly, probing for vulnerabilities over days or weeks before deploying their payload. Implementing 24/7 system monitoring combined with proactive maintenance allows businesses to detect suspicious activity before it escalates into a full breach. This layered approach combines endpoint protection, network monitoring, and threat detection to create multiple barriers against intrusion.
Disaster Planning and Recovery
When Golf Manor discovered that ransomware had encrypted not only their primary systems but also their backups, they faced the scenario that keeps IT professionals up at night. Effective backup and disaster recovery strategies go beyond copying files to an external drive. They require air-gapped or immutable backups that attackers cannot reach through the same network pathways, regular testing of restoration procedures, and comprehensive disaster planning that accounts for various threat scenarios. A well-designed server support and backup solution ensures that even if attackers breach your defenses, they cannot hold your data hostage.
Employee Training and Security Awareness
Human error remains the primary entry point for successful cyberattacks. Phishing attempts, weak password practices, and mishandling of sensitive data create opportunities that technical controls alone cannot address. Following the CodeRED breach, Cuyahoga County advised subscribers to reset passwords and enable multi-factor authentication. These are fundamental practices that should already be standard across every business. Regular employee training transforms your workforce from a vulnerability into a defensive asset, helping staff recognize suspicious communications, maintain strong credentials, and follow proper data compliance procedures.
Actionable Steps You Can Take Today
While partnering with a dedicated cybersecurity IT support company provides the most comprehensive protection, there are steps every Ohio business can implement immediately:
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all business accounts, email platforms, and cloud services. MFA is one of the single most effective measures against unauthorized access.
- Conduct a security awareness session with your team. Even a basic overview of phishing red flags and password hygiene can significantly reduce your exposure.
- Review your backup strategy. Confirm that your backups are stored in a location that cannot be accessed through your primary network, and test a restoration to verify they work.
- Audit your third-party vendors. After the CodeRED incident, every business should ask their software providers what security measures protect their data.
- Schedule a professional security assessment. An experienced IT partner can identify vulnerabilities that internal reviews often miss.
For a deeper look at the specific lessons from the CodeRED incident and what they mean for your organization, read our companion article: What Ohio Businesses Can Learn from the Cuyahoga County CodeRED Cyber Incident.
Partner with an IT Support Company That Knows Ohio
When cyber incidents occur, response time matters. For Ohio businesses, having a relationship with a local IT support company that understands your operations, your industry, and the specific threats facing organizations in this region provides advantages that distant support centers cannot match.
Ready to evaluate your cybersecurity posture? Contact Cyber Express for a no-obligation conversation about how our tailored cybersecurity and IT support solutions can help protect your Ohio business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Cuyahoga County cybersecurity breach?
In December 2025, the CodeRED emergency alert platform used by Cuyahoga County experienced a nationwide cybersecurity incident. Subscriber data for the ReadyNotify system, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, was potentially exposed. The breach was attributed to the INC Ransom group and affected CodeRED systems across the United States, not just Cuyahoga County.
Why are small businesses in Ohio at risk for cyberattacks?
Small businesses are increasingly targeted because they often have limited cybersecurity budgets, lack dedicated IT teams, and rely on basic protections like antivirus software alone. Ohio has seen a particularly high volume of incidents in 2025, affecting municipalities, healthcare systems, and private companies alike.
What cybersecurity services should I look for in an Ohio IT support company?
Look for an IT support company that offers 24/7 system monitoring, proactive maintenance, comprehensive backup and disaster recovery solutions, employee training programs, and data compliance support. A local provider like Cyber Express can also offer faster response times and a deeper understanding of the regulatory and business environment facing Ohio companies.
How can I protect my business from third-party vendor breaches like the CodeRED incident?
Start by auditing the vendors and cloud services your business relies on. Ask each provider about their security practices, data handling procedures, and incident response plans. Implement multi-factor authentication across all accounts, ensure your backup systems are isolated from your primary network, and work with a cybersecurity partner who can assess your full technology supply chain for vulnerabilities.
