Foundation Responds To Blackbaud Data Security Incident

Sheltering Arms Foundation has recently learned that it is one of thousands of healthcare systems, educational institutions, and other charitable organizations to be affected by a cyber security incident at Blackbaud, the company that hosts our fundraising database. Sheltering Arms takes the protection and proper use of our constituents’ information very seriously. We greatly value the trust of our patients, donors, and community partners.  Sheltering Arms will continue to monitor this situation.  Further details are below, including steps we have taken in response.

The Incident

In May 2020, Blackbaud, the company that hosts Sheltering Arms Foundation’s fundraising database, learned of a global data security incident.  They notified clients on July 16, 2020 of a ransomware attack.  According to Blackbaud, the cybercriminals were not successful at gaining access to Blackbaud’s encrypted files, but they were able to copy backup files that contained fundraising information.  This may have included a subset of Sheltering Arms Foundation data.

What Information Was Involved?

We would like to reassure our constituents that a detailed forensic investigation was conducted on behalf of Blackbaud, by law enforcement and third-party cyber security experts.

Blackbaud has confirmed that the cybercriminals who attacked Blackbaud did not gain access to any credit card, bank account, or social security numbers; however, they may have accessed other types of information, like name, title, date of birth, spouse name, email addresses and phone numbers, fundraising events attended, place of employment and giving history to Sheltering Arms.

It should be mentioned that Sheltering Arms Corporation and Sheltering Arms Institute maintains its electronic health record separate from the Foundation.

What Is Sheltering Arms Foundation’s Relationship With Blackbaud?

Blackbaud is one of the largest providers of fundraising database and support services for healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and other nonprofits. Blackbaud has provided these services to the Foundation for many years without incident. This security incident affects thousands of organizations around the world; more than 25,000 organizations worldwide store information on Blackbaud.

How Did Blackbaud Respond?

According to Blackbaud, their teams were able to quickly identify the vulnerability associated with this incident, including the tactics used by the cybercriminal, and took swift action. In order to protect client’s data and mitigate potential identity theft, it met the cybercriminal’s ransomware demand. Blackbaud advised that it has received assurances from the cybercriminal and third-party experts that the data was destroyed. Blackbaud has been monitoring the web in an effort to verify the data accessed by the cybercriminal has not been misused. 

How Is Sheltering Arms Foundation Responding?

Sheltering Arms Foundation is currently working with Blackbaud to understand the number of parties affected by this incident, and what types of information were accessed by the cybercriminal. The Foundation is reaching out by email or postal mail delivery to anyone whose personal information may have been accessed as a result of this incident.  The Foundation takes the protection of fundraising information very seriously and will continue to work with Blackbaud to ensure that it is secure.  Communication began to be distributed to our constituents as soon as the Foundation had the information needed to provide an initial notification.

What Is Sheltering Arms Doing To Maintain The Trust Of Donors And Patients?

The Foundation is committed to providing clear, transparent communication about the incident as well as receiving feedback and answering questions. The Foundation is also monitoring Blackbaud’s response, including the steps that Blackbaud is taking to protect donor information moving forward. The Foundation is also committed to sharing additional information with donors and patients if and when it becomes available.

Have Questions Or Concerns?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at  blackbaudinfo@shelteringarms.com or Lisa Cheney, Director of Donor Relations at 804-342-4326.