An investigation has been launched after Southampton Hospitals Charity is among 1,500 potentially affected by a cyber attack.
Southampton Hospitals Charity confirmed it is one of the charities targeted in a cyber-security incident linked to Beacon CRM, a customer relationship management provider.
The charity uses Beacon’s system to manage supporter records, and Beacon informed the charity of the cyber-security incident on August 3.
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A spokesperson for Southampton Hospitals Charity said: "Earlier this week we were informed that Southampton Hospitals Charity was among 1,500 charities potentially affected by a cyber-security incident.
"Beacon CRM, which runs a system we use to store and maintain our supporter records, contacted us on Monday 3rd August to let us know its systems had been targeted by an unauthorised third party.
"Beacon acted promptly to secure their systems and notify all relevant authorities and regulators, as well as introducing additional security measures."
The charity said it is working with Beacon to determine what data may have been accessed, aided by cyber security specialists.
The spokesperson added: "It is possible that personal information such as contact details have been accessed.
"We do not store any payment information or passwords on our database and, at present, there is no evidence that supporter information has been misused as a result of this incident."
Supporters have been urged to remain vigilant.
A spokesperson for Beacon said: "We recently experienced a cyber-security incident that involved unauthorised access to Beacon systems containing data we process on behalf of our customers.
"We are taking this incident very seriously.
"We have notified all of our customers and our focus is now on supporting them as much as possible in any onward communication of their own regarding potential data impact."
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Charity Commission are aware of the incident.
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: "We are aware of a data breach involving Beacon CRM and multiple charities.
"Some charities have reported serious incidents to us and we are working to assist those with guidance and steps to enable them to address the data breach.
"This guidance will be published once we know the full extent of the issue."
A spokesperson for the ICO said they are assessing the information provided and are in contact with Beacon Apps Ltd.
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