A data security incident has affected some of our supporters and volunteers.
The computer software company, Blackbaud, which provides the platform for our supporter and volunteer database, recently experienced an attempted cyberattack. During this, a copy of data, which included personal information of our supporters such as their name, address and email address, was taken.
Blackbaud paid a ransom to the cybercriminals to destroy the data taken, and although they cannot guarantee it, they are content that no data went beyond the cybercriminal, was or will be misused; or made available publicly. They are using experts to monitor the dark web as a further measure. You can read more about the incident by following this link.
No financial information such as card or bank details is stored in our database, and therefore was not taken in the attack.
Blackbaud is a cloud computing provider who work with organisations worldwide, and this breach has impacted many other charities and universities.
There is no need for anyone to take any action in relation to this incident, but we would remind all of our supporters that it is always best practice to exercise caution when opening or responding to emails you receive and consider whether they are from a legitimate contact or source.
More information about how to spot suspicious (phishing) emails is available from the National Cyber Security Centre (www.ncsc.gov.uk). If you are concerned about activity around the use of your email, please use the suspicious email reporting service (SERS) at: report@phishing.gov.uk
We apologise for any concern or inconvenience this may cause. We value our supporters and know that you trust us to look after your data. This is why, despite being disappointed to do it, we are making you aware of the incident, and regardless of the fact that it represents a very low risk to you all.
Please feel assured that we take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and will continue to work with Blackbaud to investigate this matter. If you have any questions or require further information, please email dataprotection@loros.co.uk
John Knight
LOROS CEO
