FAQS about the Blackbaud data breach
April 20, 2022
UK universities are involved in a global privacy violation. The university data breach occurred as Blackbaud was targeted by criminals.
In 2020, over 100 educational, charitable, and third-sector organisations had their data stolen following a breach at Blackbaud.
Blackbaud – a firm that provides administration, fundraising, and financial management software – was targeted by cybercriminals in a devastating cyber-attack. The hackers demanded a ransom in exchange for deleting the data, which Blackbaud paid.
Blackbaud took weeks to warn people that their data had been stolen. This left victims of the hack at risk of further attacks as they did not realise their data was in the hands of criminals, and that they needed to be extra vigilant.
Furthermore, despite initially claiming that financial data had not been stolen, Blackbaud later admitted that bank account information and users’ passwords were among details feared accessed by hackers (although not everyone will have had their financial details compromised).
According to the BBC, as of October 2020, the Blackbaud data breach had impacted at least 166 organisations.
Several UK universities and charities were compromised in this data breach. By now, these organisations should have told those affected.
Many of those who have received confirmation are now understandably concerned. The damage that can be caused if cybercriminals use this financial and personal information fraudulently could be significant.
Including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Brunel, Durham, East Anglia, Exeter, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt, Kent, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Loughborough, Manchester, Northampton, Oxford Brookes, Reading, Robert Gordon, Staffordshire, Strathclyde, Sussex, and West London.
Many Oxbridge colleges and private schools were also implicated.
The universities involved have sent letters and emails apologising to those affected.
Including The National Trust, Young Minds, Action on Addiction, Breast Cancer Now, the Choir with No Name, Maccabi GB, Sue Ryder, the Urology Foundation and the Wallich.
Blackbaud has confirmed that donator names, email addresses, phone numbers, and donation amounts were stolen in the Labour Party data breach. But that isn’t the only breach experienced by the Party.
UK universities are involved in a global privacy violation. The university data breach occurred as Blackbaud was targeted by criminals.
In May 2020, over 100 educational, charitable, and third-sector organisations had their customer, donor, and membership data stolen. The breach happened when Blackbaud – a firm that provides administration, fundraising, and financial management software – was targeted by cybercriminals in a devastating cyber-attack. The hackers demanded a ransom in exchange for deleting the data, which Blackbaud paid.
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The Blackbaud data breach happened when the software company experienced a cyberattack in May 2020. As a result of the hack, the personal data of millions of people may have been stolen. In our experience, attacks of this kind happen because of poor data security processes.
The information accessed depends on the institution involved. According to the BBC this could include:
Blackbaud has also admitted that bank account information was among the details feared accessed by hackers. Although not everyone will have had their financial details compromised.
If your details were accessed in the Blackbaud data hack, you should have been informed. Anyone impacted by this breach can now make a compensation claim with Keller Lenkner UK.
Anyone who thinks they might be involved should take immediate steps to protect themselves. Our data protection lawyers have created a handy guide to help keep you safe.
If you have been told that your data was involved in this breach, you can join our no-win, no-fee compensation claim. There are no costs to register and no obligation to proceed.
A group action claim is where a group of people – sometimes even thousands of people – have been affected by the same issue. Group action cases are also known as class actions, multi-claimant, or multi-party actions.
There are no costs to join a claim. However, if your claim is successful, you may have to pay a ‘success fee’. This fee is taken from the compensation awarded to you. At Keller Lenkner UK, our success fee is competitive, and we make sure you are fully informed about any potential costs before you officially join our action. If you lose, you won’t have to pay a penny.
While each case is judged on its own merits, there are some things we would typically look for when it comes to when claiming compensation following a data breach, cybercrime or other GDPR violation:
With stolen data, cybercriminals can make purchases using your bank and credit cards, apply for credit in your name, set up fraudulent bank accounts and access your existing online accounts.
GDPR failures, cybercrime and data breaches can have a significant impact on you, both mentally and physically. They can cause or exacerbate anxiety, stress and other psychological conditions.
Keller Lenkner UK has been shortlisted in three categories at the Modern Law Awards 2022. These categories are ‘Business Growth Award’, ‘Innovation of the Year’ and ‘Boutique Law Firm’. We have also been shortlisted for ‘Law Firm of the Year’ at the 2022 LexisNexis Legal Awards.
This follows our 2021 success where we were shortlisted in the ‘Independent Law Firm of the Year’ and ‘Strategic Legal Operations Team of the Year’ categories at The British Legal Awards, and the ‘Disputes Boutique Firm of the Year’ category at The Lawyer Awards.