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WBUR & Other Nonprofits Affected By Blackbaud Data Breach

WBUR was recently notified of a data security breach that may have involved some personal donor information. Importantly, WBUR does not store social security numbers, credit card, or financial data and therefore, that information was not compromised.

What Happened and What Information Was Involved

One of our technology partners, Blackbaud—a global leader in nonprofit engagement and fundraising technology with more than 25,000 institutional customers around the world—recently experienced a ransomware attack and informed us that WBUR was among the many affected parties.

Blackbaud alerted us that a cybercriminal removed a copy of some of its customer files. We have determined that the files involved may have contained contact information, demographic data and WBUR donor support details.

According to Blackbaud, they paid a ransom for confirmation that the files were destroyed. They also report that their Cyber Security team, together with independent forensics experts and law enforcement, blocked the cybercriminal from accessing any additional files. Once the activities were contained and the breach secured, Blackbaud notified WBUR of the incident.

What We Are Doing

Ensuring the safety of our constituents’ data is of the utmost importance to us. As part of their ongoing efforts to help prevent something like this from happening in the future, Blackbaud has implemented several changes to protect data from any subsequent incidents.

Blackbaud reports that its teams were able to identify the vulnerability associated with this incident, including the tactics used by the cybercriminal, and took action to fix it. It has confirmed through testing by multiple third parties that its fix withstands all known attack tactics. Additionally, they are accelerating their efforts to further harden their environment through enhancements to access management, network segmentation, deployment of additional endpoint and network-based platforms.

WBUR remains in regular contact with Blackbaud and will continue to monitor the company’s response. As more information becomes available, we will post updates on INSIDE WBUR.

What You Can Do

If you are a WBUR donor, there is no action required by you at this time. As a best practice, we recommend you remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activity or suspected identity theft to the proper law enforcement authorities. Please note that no credit card or financial account information was compromised in this breach. Additional details are available on the Blackbaud website.

Your trust in WBUR and the service we provide are of paramount importance to us. We're deeply sorry for this incident and regret any inconvenience this may cause. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at privacy@wbur.org.

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