The Archdiocese of Atlanta, Catholic Charities of Atlanta, the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, and related entities all use Blackbaud, Inc., a company specializing in non-profit fundraising software.
In the summer of 2020, Blackbaud Inc. informed thousands of customers, including the Archdiocese, about a cybercriminal attack on Blackbaud’s systems and information stored on such systems. First and foremost, we want to let our donors know that no sensitive information was compromised in the attack. We are committed to safety and transparency, so we felt it was important to make you aware of this incident.
According to Blackbaud, in May 2020 a criminal launched a ransomware attack on Blackbaud. The criminal(s) apparently then removed a copy of a subset of data from the company’s servers before Blackbaud was able, with help from federal law enforcement and other security experts, to lock out the criminals. The data removed included donor names, addresses and donation history. Once the attack was halted, the company paid the ransom amount to have the removed data files destroyed. Blackbaud says it received confirmation that this happened.
The good news is that the criminals did not have access to usernames, passwords, banking information or Social Security Numbers. All of this type of information was encrypted and protected throughout the attack.
The teams at the Archdiocese of Atlanta have been working with Blackbaud to learn about their next steps to prevent a future breach and double-checking our internal security controls to be sure all of your information is safe. We do not keep banking or credit card information on file.
While we have no reason to believe any information was made public or misused in any way, this incident serves as a good reminder for everyone to take extra precautions when it comes to online safety. You should change your passwords often, check your accounts regularly and be wary of so-called phishing attacks that come in via your email. If you believe someone is using your identity for any reason, promptly report these incidents to law enforcement. For more steps to address identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website: www.ftc.gov/idtheft.
We depend on your generosity to change lives and we appreciate your trust in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Please know we are doing all we can to be good stewards of your donations. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact the following people in our offices:
Archdiocese of Atlanta Office of Stewardship and Development:
Kit Parker (404) 920-7615 or kparker@archatl.com
Catholic Charities of Atlanta
Lisa McLean at (404) 920-7758 or emclean@ccatlanta.org or Pauline Battaglia at (404) 920-7727 or pbattaglia@ccatlanta.org
Catholic Foundation of North Georgia
Nancy Coveny at (404) 497-9440 or ncoveny@cfnga.org
