Blackbaud data breach

We have very recently been contacted by a third-party service provider, Blackbaud, one of the world’s largest providers of customer relationship management systems for not-for-profit organisations. They have informed us that they were subject to a ransomware attack earlier this year.

Data from a number of their clients was taken and this included a subset of the RIBA’s database of patrons, sponsors and supporters.

We are currently in conversation with Blackbaud and are reviewing the information they have supplied to us. The company has confirmed that no encrypted information, such as bank account details, passwords or credit card details, was accessed during the attack.

We have reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and are working with our internal data security team to identify and inform those who may have been affected.

The RIBA takes data security very seriously and regrets the inconvenience and concern that the breach of Blackbaud’s systems may cause. We are working as swiftly as we can to assess and minimise the impact of the breach on behalf of all our valued contacts and supporters.

If you have any queries, please contact DPO@riba.org.