We are sorry to inform you that Beacon CRM, the third party database organisation that Kidney Care UK uses, have experienced a cyber security incident. Beacon have informed us that their systems were accessed by an unauthorised party using compromised credentials. They are still investigating this and will provide more information as soon as this is available.
At this stage Beacon believes that data backups held by them on Kidney Care UK’s behalf may have been accessed. This means that some of our supporters’ and beneficiaries’ personal information may have been included in the affected data. We are making the assumption that this is the case until we know otherwise.
Right now, we do not have the full picture of what has happened, but we are in close contact with Beacon and will share updates here as soon as we have them.
We are following all guidance provided to ensure our data remains secure going forward, and we are reviewing our own processes as an extra precaution.
We recommend that all our supporters and beneficiaries remain vigilant for any unexpected phone calls, messages, and emails, and take extra care clicking links or opening attachments in any emails that are unusual. There is useful advice on the National Cyber Security Centre website.
We use Beacon because they take privacy and data very seriously and they hold the UK's highest level of cyber security qualification. This is a criminal incident, and it has impacted more than 1,000 other charities who are also Beacon customers.
We are in the process of contacting everyone who may potentially be affected. We understand that this news may be concerning and we apologise for any worry and stress this incident may cause. If you have any questions or wish to raise any concerns with us you can email us at [email protected].