Advocacy group Gambling with Lives was among several charities impacted by a recent Beacon cyberattack.
In an email sent to stakeholders today (6 August) and seen by NEXT.io, chair of Gambling with Lives trustees Charles Ritchie said the charity – which supports families bereaved by gambling-related suicides – was told its information had been compromised in a cybersecurity breach on its third-party CRM provider Beacon.
It comes amid chaos nationwide after Beacon, which supports over 1,500 charities and cultural organisations nationwide, had its systems breached in late July and early August by unknown bad actors who downloaded sensitive data.
Ritchie wrote: “Beacon told us that compromised credentials were used to gain access to Beacon, and copies of back up files were likely downloaded by the unauthorised third party.
“Beacon has engaged specialist cyber security experts, reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), secured the system, and is continuing to investigate the incident.”
Highlighting that investigations were ongoing, Ritchie added compromised information could include names, addresses, contact details, dates of birth and donation records – although not bank information – as well as potentially health and safeguarding information.
The email continued by assuring stakeholders it has assessed risks to individuals, considered its legal obligations, and will monitor developments in Beacon’s investigation.
Ritchie added: “Beacon has informed us that it has identified and addressed the vulnerability that led to the unauthorised access, reset relevant credentials, enhanced security monitoring, and implemented additional security measures across its systems.
“It has also advised that its external cyber security experts have not identified evidence of ongoing unauthorised access since the incident was contained.”
The charity – which is known for its strong advocacy against the gambling industry – warned those affected to be wary when receiving communications.
Ritchie continued: “We are grateful for your trust in Gambling with Lives and our ongoing work together. We appreciate that this news may be concerning and we sincerely apologise for any worry or inconvenience this incident may cause.
“If our investigation identifies any further information that may affect you, we will provide an update as soon as possible.”
NEXT.io has contacted Gambling with Lives for comment.
