{"id":630671,"date":"2023-04-18T09:49:22","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T14:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/18\/charity-data-stolen-in-ransomware-attack-on-supplier\/"},"modified":"2023-04-18T09:49:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T14:49:22","slug":"charity-data-stolen-in-ransomware-attack-on-supplier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/18\/charity-data-stolen-in-ransomware-attack-on-supplier\/","title":{"rendered":"Charity data stolen in ransomware attack on supplier"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"content-header\">\n<h2>A number of charities in Ireland and the UK have had their data compromised following a ransomware attack on an IT supplier<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-center\">\n<ul>\n<li><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i data-icon=\"2\"><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"contributors-block\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Alex-Scroxton-CW-Contributor-2022.jpg\" alt=\"Alex Scroxton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/contributor\/Alex-Scroxton\">Alex Scroxton,<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Security Editor<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n\tPublished: <span>17 Apr 2023 13:00<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"content-body\">\n<p>The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and Ireland\u2019s An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na are probing a series of data breaches at several charities working with vulnerable individuals, including victims child sexual abuse, after their data was compromised in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/resources\/IT-security\">cyber attack<\/a> on an IT supplier.<\/p>\n<p>The supplier, Derry-Londonderry-based <a href=\"https:\/\/evide.org\/\">Evide<\/a>, is a data management services firm specialising in third-sector organisations. Its Impact Tracker platform is used by charities across in Ireland and the UK to manage campaign data and outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>It is understood it was targeted by an as-yet undisclosed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/searchsecurity\/definition\/ransomware\">ransomware<\/a> operator in March 2023. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rte.ie\/news\/2023\/0417\/1377329-data-ransomware\/\">According to RT\u00c9<\/a>, its attackers have demanded a ransom, but Evide has not paid.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, Evide said: \u201cWe recently became aware of an incident when unusual traffic was detected on our network. As soon as we became aware that a third party had accessed our systems we immediately contacted the PSNI and engaged the services of experienced cyber security specialists to assist us to contain the issue, support recovery efforts, and conduct a thorough investigation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have provided notifications to all relevant stakeholders and clients and also notified the relevant authorities, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland who notified An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. The incident is now also subject to a criminal investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two of the charities known to have been hit are Dublin-based <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oneinfour.ie\/\">One in Four<\/a>, which works with adult survivors of child sexual abuse, and Belfast-based <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orchardville.com\/\">Orchardville<\/a>, which supports adults with autism and learning disabilities.<\/p>\n<p>One in Four said it learned of the breach on 5 April when it was notified in the course of Evide\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe now know that the personal information of people who have used our service has been accessed,\u201d the organisation said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have begun contacting individual clients directly to advise them of the incident and to address any concerns they may have. We have taken this approach to allow us to provide proper supports to clients who may find this incident distressing. Our priority at all times is to the welfare and wellbeing of our clients.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to RT\u00c9, the charity\u2019s CEO Maeve Lewis said she was unsure what data had been stolen, but that it did likely include personal information.<\/p>\n<p>Orchardville, meanwhile, said it was also working to establish what data had been compromised and has warned service users <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-northern-ireland-65297324\">to be on the alert for suspicious contacts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s reprehensible but attacks like this against some of the most vulnerable are popular with certain cyber criminals,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comparitech.com\/\">Comparitech<\/a> security specialist Brian Higgins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe instinctive reaction of victim organisations will always be to do their utmost to protect those they are charged with helping and this can often be exploited as a motivation to pay a ransom quickly rather than risk any further harm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt appears that Evide, its affected clients, and PSNI, have a comprehensive incident response plan in action and are doing their utmost to see out this despicable attack in the recommended fashion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir comms strategy is very clear and anyone who thinks they may be affected or know somebody who is a client of any of the listed victim organisations should follow the advice issued by PSNI and report any unsolicited messages about the attack. Never engage or reply. Only report and delete,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<section data-menu-title=\"Risk to charities\">\n<h3><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i>Risk to charities<\/h3>\n<p>Charities are considered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252529475\/NCSC-warning-over-cyber-risk-to-charity-sector\">particularly at risk from cyber security incidents<\/a> of this type for two main reasons.<\/p>\n<p>The first is because of the wealth of immensely valuable personal data that they hold. By its nature, said data frequently falls under <a href=\"https:\/\/ico.org.uk\/for-organisations\/guide-to-data-protection\/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr\/lawful-basis-for-processing\/special-category-data\/\">the umbrella term of special category data<\/a> under the UK and European Union (EU) GDPR \u2013 which includes information on ethnic and racial background, political opinions, philosophical and religious believes, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, health data, and data on an individual\u2019s sex life, sexual orientation and gender identity.<\/p>\n<p>The second reason is that charities are frequently small, under-resourced organisations that may be reluctant to spend their limited funds on appropriate cyber security controls, often rely on bring-your-own-device policies, and have a high number of casual workers and volunteers who may lack basic cyber awareness and training.<\/p>\n<p>Writing in Computer Weekly in February 2023, Rob Shapland, an ethical hacker and head of cyber innovation at <a href=\"https:\/\/falanxcyber.com\/\">Falanx Cyber<\/a>, and Adam Monks, chief executive of third-sector specialist MSP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartdesc.co.uk\/\">Smartdesc<\/a> set out three steps that charities can take to help mitigate the risk of falling victim to a cyber attack. These are:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>To outsource and invest in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/searchsecurity\/answer\/What-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-hiring-a-virtual-CISO\">virtual chief information security officer<\/a> (vCISO) service;<\/li>\n<li>To consider investing in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/microscope\/news\/252529610\/MDR-resonating-as-an-option-with-both-channel-and-customers\">managed detection and response<\/a> (MDR) services;<\/li>\n<li>And to use third-party penetration testing and ethical hacking services if possible.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\u201cCharities are on cyber criminals\u2019 radars, even the large, well-known charities are vulnerable. The impact of a large-scale attack can be devastating\u2013 particularly the downtime and damage to the brand and supporter trust,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe investment of time and money into the right cyber security strategy and services, from specialists that understand the challenges of the sector, will always outweigh the long \u2013 and reputationally damaging \u2013 road to recovery from a successful attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section data-menu-title=\"Popular support package\">\n<h3><i data-icon=\"1\"><\/i>Popular support package<\/h3>\n<p>Meanwhile, in January of this year, the UK\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsc.gov.uk\/\">National Cyber Security Centre<\/a> (NCSC) launched <a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252528999\/Vulnerable-organisations-to-get-free-Cyber-Essentials-support\">a package of support measures<\/a> for charity organisations working with vulnerable groups \u2013 including children, domestic violence survivors, and refugees.<\/p>\n<p>Delivered alongside the <a href=\"https:\/\/iasme.co.uk\/\">IASME<\/a> cyber assurance consortium, charities that successfully applied for the Funded Cyber Essentials scheme are to receive 20 hours of free support from an accredited Cyber Essentials assessor to help them implement the five core pillars \u2013 firewalls, secure settings, access controls, malware and software updates \u2013 that open up the NCSC\u2019s Cyber Essentials Plus certification.<\/p>\n<p>The offer proved so popular that the NCSC and IASME <a href=\"https:\/\/iasme.co.uk\/cyber-essentials\/funded-programme\">have since had to close applications<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"DigDeeperSplash\">\n<h4>\n\t\t\t<i data-icon=\"m\"><\/i>Read more on Data breach incident management and recovery<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/opinion\/What-charities-should-know-about-ransomware-and-reputational-threats\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/security-threat-cyber-attack-1-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/security-threat-cyber-attack-1-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/security-threat-cyber-attack-1-adobe.jpeg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>What charities should know about ransomware and reputational threats<\/h5>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252529475\/NCSC-warning-over-cyber-risk-to-charity-sector\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/security-threat-cyber-attack-1-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/security-threat-cyber-attack-1-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/LeMagIT\/hero_article\/security-threat-cyber-attack-1-adobe.jpeg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>NCSC warning over cyber risk to charity sector<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Alex-Scroxton-CW-Contributor-2022.jpg\" alt=\"AlexScroxton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Alex\u00a0Scroxton<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252515288\/One-third-of-UK-firms-suffer-a-cyber-attack-every-week\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/email-phishing-attack-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/email-phishing-attack-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/German\/article\/email-phishing-attack-adobe.jpg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>One-third of UK firms suffer a cyber attack every week<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Alex-Scroxton-CW-Contributor-2022.jpg\" alt=\"AlexScroxton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Alex\u00a0Scroxton<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"DigDeeperItem-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/252508998\/UKs-Labour-Party-hit-by-third-party-data-breach\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero Images\/data-privacy-city-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/data-privacy-city-adobe_searchsitetablet_520X173.jpg 960w,https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/visuals\/ComputerWeekly\/Hero%20Images\/data-privacy-city-adobe.jpeg 1280w\" alt ><\/p>\n<h5>UK\u2019s Labour Party hit by third-party data breach<\/h5>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.ttgtmedia.com\/rms\/computerweekly\/Alex-Scroxton-CW-Contributor-2022.jpg\" alt=\"AlexScroxton\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>By: <span>Alex\u00a0Scroxton<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.computerweekly.com\/news\/365534826\/Charity-data-stolen-in-ransomware-attack-on-supplier\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Lloyd Stoval<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A number of charities in Ireland and the UK have had their data compromised following a ransomware attack on an IT supplier By Alex Scroxton, Security Editor Published: 17 Apr 2023 13:00 The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and Ireland\u2019s An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na are probing a series of data breaches at several charities working<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":630672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26162,23760,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-630671","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-charity","8":"category-stolen","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}