CEL Solicitors provides expert comment to media on Blackbaud hack
After a serious global data breach affected a growing number of UK universities, our director, Mark Montaldo, provided expert commentary on the issues around the hack and how users should stay safe online. His comments featured in regional media up and down the country.
The hack targeted cloud computing provider Blackbaud, one of the world’s largest providers of education administration, fundraising, and financial management software.
Mark, whose comments featured in newspapers in York, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool and Exeter, said: “We’ve already spoken to former university students who are rightly concerned about what this data breach could mean for them. To know your personal data has been hacked by criminals is incredibly worrying and increasingly common as more and more data is stored online.
“It’s therefore crucial that organisations ensure that every possible measure is taken to protect their members’ personal details and that any third parties’ goals are aligned with their own when it comes to data protection.
“It’s also really important that organisations notify potential victims as soon as they become aware of a data breach so that they are alert to any suspicious activity as a result of their data being breached”.
The UK universities confirmed to have been affected are:
- University of York
- University of Leeds
- University of Reading
- Oxford Brookes University
- University of London
- University of Birmingham
- De Montfort University
- University of Exeter
- Loughborough University
- University College, Oxford
- Aberystwyth University
- University of Liverpool
The universities impacted are now working with Blackbaud to determine exactly what personal data was compromised. So far, clients of Blackbaud have been affected in different ways, with varying types of data involved. In some cases, the stolen data included phone numbers, donation history and events attended. Credit card and other payment details do not appear to have been exposed.
For the full articles, visit:
- BirminghamMail.co.uk
- LBNdaily.co.uk
- YorkshirePost.co.uk
- ExeterDaily.co.uk
- ExaminerLive.co.uk
- LeedsLive.co.uk