The BC Cancer Foundationhas fallen victim to a cyberattack that may have leaked personal data of its donors.
The charity confirmed in a statement to its donors that the breach involved information managed by service provider Blackbaud.
The breach took place in May, and a malicious actor threatened to expose sensitive data if the company did not pay the ransom it demanded.
"The incident involved a cybercriminal who extracted data in order to extort money from Blackbaud, one of the world's largest providers of education, finance, and financial management software for non-profits. Blackbaud paid a ransom in exchange for the deletion of the extracted data," the foundation.
The organization also stated that no information about donors' finances or credit cards was stored by Blackbaud, while further investigation found that nothing has been compromised so far.
"Through an investigation, both Blackbaud and law enforcement officials believe that no data was compromised by the attack."
The details at risk include names, addresses, phone numbers and demographic information – including dates of birth, ages, marital status, donation information and contact preferences.
"Blackbaud has hired a specialist firm to monitor the internet and the Dark Web as an additional precautionary measure for any signs of compromised data," the foundation said.
“In addition, the BC Cancer Foundation has begun monitoring the Dark Web for activity related to its data. The BC Cancer Foundation is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information and complies with the privacy legislative requirements under PIPA.”
The foundation also advises donors to be cautious of any emails, text messages or phone calls requesting sensitive data or financial information.
"We apologize for this incident," the foundation further stated.
