Cloud computing provider Blackbaud has been the target of a cyber attack, with organisations across a range of industries now issuing data breach alerts.

Charities, it seems, have been particularly affected, with the BBC reporting that as of July 29th, 33 such organisations have reported related incidents to the Charities Commission. The likes of Crisis, Sue Ryder, Young Minds and The Wallich have all been hit, as have dozens of universities, schools, churches, food banks and museums around the world.

The National Trust is the latest organisation to say it has been affected, explaining that data on its volunteering and fundraising communities had been compromised, but not that relating to its wider 5.6 million members.

Blackbaud itself said it was aware of the issue in May and paid the cyber criminals a ransom, but clients were only advised of the breach in July, which is why members of the public are only just now being notified.

A spokesperson from the Information Commissioner’s Office said: “Organisations involved should be getting in touch with their customers to inform them if their personal data has been impacted.”

In May, the Charities Commission issued a warning that hackers have been exploiting the coronavirus crisis to carry out fraud and cybercrime, with police seeing an increase in covid-related scams.

Be vigilant of scam or phishing emails and never click on links or attachments from suspicious emails. Also make sure you’ve installed the latest software and app updates on devices to protect you from threats. If you are the victim of cybercrime or fraud, report it to both Action Fraud and The Charity Commission as soon as you can.

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