BC Cancer Foundation warns donors of ransomware attack

The BC Cancer Foundation has been impacted by a cyberattack.

In a statement to donors, the charity said one of its third-party service providers, Blackbaud, was targeted by a ransomware attack.

“The incident involved a cybercriminal who removed data for the purpose of extorting funds from Blackbaud, one of the world’s largest providers of education administration, fundraising and financial management software for non-profits,” the foundation said in a statement to donors.

“Blackbaud paid a ransom in exchange for the deletion of the extracted data.”

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The foundation said it only recently learned of the data breach, which took place in May.

No credit card or financial information was accessed, but personal details included names, addresses, emails and phone numbers may have been compromised in the breach.

An investigation concluded that no information went beyond the cybercriminal, who was paid a ransom in exchange for the deletion of the extracted data.

The foundation said it has notified the Office of The Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia.

Earlier this month, Vancouver Coastal Health said it had been the victim of a cyberattack this spring.

Hackers used a ransomware program to hit a computer system used for its Employee and Family Assistance Program, a counselling and wellness service for its workers.

No patient data was included on the computer system, the health authority said.

— With files from Simon Little