This incident may have involved some of the personal information we hold about supporters, donors and partners. We are truly sorry that this has happened and for any concern it may cause. We know that as a partner and supporter, you trust us with your personal information, and we take that responsibility extremely seriously. We want to provide you with as much information as we can on what has happened, what is being done and what you can do to protect yourself.

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What happened?

On Monday 3rd August, Beacon informed us that compromised credentials were used to gain unauthorised access to its systems, affecting all organisations that use its systems to hold data. As part of this incident, copies of databases held within Beacon were made and are believed to have been downloaded.

Beacon has engaged independent cybersecurity specialists to investigate exactly what happened and has taken immediate steps to secure its systems and prevent further unauthorised access. Their investigation is ongoing.

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What information may have been affected?

The information involved will vary depending on your relationship with us, but may include your:

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·       Name and contact details (such as your postal address, email address and telephone number)

·       Donation and Gift Aid history

·       Communication preferences and correspondence with us.

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We have never stored payment card or bank details in Beacon; therefore, no information of this kind has been compromised as a result of this incident.

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No product donation information is stored in Beacon and, therefore, no product donation data has been affected by this incident. Boaz, our product donation system, is not linked to Beacon in any way and was also unaffected by this incident.

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What is the current risk?

At present, we have no evidence that your personal information has been misused or published online. You do not need to take any action at this time; we simply want to let you know what has happened so that you can be alert, as incidents of this nature can sometimes increase the risk of receiving fraudulent emails, telephone calls or text messages. As a precaution, we recommend that you:

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·       Be cautious of any unexpected emails, phone calls or text messages claiming to be from IHP

·       Never share passwords, banking information or security codes in response to an unsolicited request

·       Avoid opening unexpected attachments or clicking links unless you are confident that they are genuine

·       Contact us using trusted individual contact details or via the details on our official website if you are ever unsure whether a communication is legitimate.

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What are IHP doing?

Since being notified of the incident, we have been working closely with Beacon to understand exactly what happened and what information may have been affected.

We have also:

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·       Assessed the potential risks to our supporters

·       Taken appropriate steps to review and strengthen our own security arrangements

·       Considered our legal obligations under data protection law, including notifying the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)and Charity Commission

·       Continued to monitor Beacon's investigation and the advice of its independent cybersecurity specialists.

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What happens next?

We are committed to keeping you informed. If the investigation identifies any significant new information that changes our understanding of the incident or the risks to you, we will update this page as soon as possible.

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We understand you may have questions and concerns, and if so, please don’t hesitate to contact us on Tel: 020 3735 5489 or email: gdpr@ihpuk.org. Our Data Protection Lead is Clare Allcock.  

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Once again, we are sincerely sorry that this incident has occurred and for any concern it may have caused. Thank you for your continued trust, patience and support while Beacon's investigation continues.

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