Blackbaud data breach: information hacked

The widespread and recently publicised Blackbaud data breach has resulted in a wealth of personal information being hacked, affecting over 100 organisations in the UK.

Many of those affected are universities, and there are also charities that have been impacted by the breach as well. Victims are being notified of the breach, and if you have been contacted, we may be able to help you. For eligible cases, we may be able to offer No Win, No Fee legal representation.

Here’s some advice about what has happened, what data has been affected, and how we may be able to help you today.

Blackbaud hacked: what we know so far

The Blackbaud data breach is understood to have affected 125 organisations to date, according to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). This includes a number of universities and charity organisations, with the National Trust one of the most recent ones announce that their information has been hacked.

Universities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, York, Leeds, and Bristol are all thought to have been affected.

It is understood that hackers were able to gain access to information that the US software company was involved with as part of their business providing systems for the education, fundraising and financial management sectors. The fact that they had been hacked was discovered in May and they have reportedly paid a ransom to the criminals for them to destroy the information that was exposed.

Information hacked in the Blackbaud data breach

Depending on which organisation your data is from can depend on what information about you has been affected in the Blackbaud data breach.

For those whose data has been hacked as a university student, information affected may include names, addresses, dates of birth,  student numbers, qualification details, and information about extracurricular activities. In terms of charities that are affected by the breach, data may include names and contact information, gender and birth dates details, employment and finances information, and data about donations and likely donations that the person may make.

In either case, additional data collected, such as from surveys, may also be involved.

Victims could be eligible to receive compensation for the distress suffered by the loss of control of their personal information. Given the nature of the information affected, it could be enough for criminals to exploit and could lead to financial losses for victims. If this happens, a compensation case can also account for any losses and expenses incurred as well as for the distress.

No Win, No Free compensation claim

If your information has been hacked as a result of the widespread Blackbaud data breach, you could be entitled to bring a legal case for compensation with us on a No Win, No Fee basis.

You can speak to our team for free and no-obligation advice by completing a form on the website here. If we think that you may have a successful claim for compensation, we may then be able to take it forward for you on the basis that we can write off our legal fees if the case doesn’t win, subject to the terms and conditions of the agreement.