What has happened:
On Monday 3rd August, Beacon informed us that they believe that they have been the victim of a cyber-security incident. They have brought in external cyber-security experts to investigate and secure their systems. Their current understanding is that compromised credentials were used to access their systems, and copies of database backups for all of their customers (over 1,000 charities) were made.
We are still waiting for more information from Beacon as to exactly what, if any, of our data, was affected. However, we wanted to bring this to your attention as soon as possible.
Beacon has assured us that they are engaging with external cyber-security specialists and are continuing to monitor the situation for signs of data misuse, as well as implementing additional security measures to prevent further unauthorised access.
What information was affected:
We are continuing to work with Beacon to establish precisely what information may have been accessed. At this stage, investigations remain ongoing. However, the information stored within our Beacon system may include some, or all, of the following:
- Name
- Address
- Contact details (email address and phone number)
- Gender
- Date of birth
- Record of donations or payments made to S.A.L.V.E.
- Gift Aid Declarations
- Copies of any email correspondence between you and any member of the S.A.L.V.E. team.
- Volunteer records, including CV’s, References and DBS checks (if you have shared these with us in relation to past or present staff/ volunteering/ Trustee roles with S.A.L.V.E.
We want to assure you that we do not collect or store card details in this system, so this type of financial information has not been exposed.
However, if you have sent us your bank details via email as one of our lottery winners, these details may have been exposed and we would encourage you to be more vigilant.
What we are doing:
We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and will update you if anything changes. We have followed Beacon’s recommended security checklist, including reviewing and updating our system passwords.
We wanted to contact everyone who is currently recorded on our Beacon database as soon as possible and we have also informed the Information Commissioner as legally required. We will update you with any further information as we receive it. We are very sorry this has occurred and for any worry this causes, and we appreciate your understanding as we work through this. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
What you can do:
- Remain vigilant for suspicious emails, phone calls, texts or correspondence claiming to be from S.A.L.V.E. or any trusted third party.
- Exercise caution before clicking on links or opening attachments from unexpected communications.
- Never disclose passwords, verification codes or financial information in response to unsolicited requests.
What happens next?
We are committed to keeping you informed. If our investigation identifies any further information that may affect you, we will provide an update as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact amy@salveinternational.org
We are so grateful for your trust in our work and your ongoing support and I want to sincerely apologise for any worry or concern this incident may cause.