Blackbaud, a U.S.-based company specializing in cloud-based donor data management software for nonprofits, has reached a settlement with the FTC regarding allegations of insufficient security and data retention practices. The FTC claimed that Blackbaud failed to monitor hacking attempts, segment data, enforce robust authentication, and address weak passwords, ultimately resulting in a ransomware attack and data breach in 2020. The settlement mandates that Blackbaud improves its security measures and removes unnecessary customer data from its systems. In the aftermath of the FTC settlement, Blackbaud is now prohibited from misrepresenting its data security and retention practices. The company is required to implement an information security program to address FTC concerns and establish a data retention schedule with clear deletion timelines. Additionally, Blackbaud must promptly report any data breaches to the FTC and relevant authorities. The FTC criticized Blackbaud for its security shortcomings, highlighting the responsibility of companies to secure and delete unnecessary data. It was revealed that Blackbaud paid a ransom of 24 Bitcoin (around $250,000) to the ransomware gang but failed to confirm the deletion of the stolen data. In July 2020, Blackbaud disclosed a breach affecting data of 13,000 business customers and clients from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and the Netherlands, including sensitive details such as banking information and social security numbers. A September 2020 SEC filing omitted crucial breach details and downplayed risks. By November 2020, Blackbaud faced 23 class-action lawsuits related to the May 2020 breach. In March 2023, the company agreed to pay $3 million to settle SEC charges for failing to disclose the full impact of the breach. In October, Blackbaud settled a $49.5 million multi-state investigation supported by attorneys general from 49 U.S. states. The FTC criticized Blackbaud for inadequately communicating the severity of the breach, causing further harm to victims.
Android users are being targeted in a large-scale malware operation designed to silently enroll victims into premium mobile billing services without consent. The campaign abuses ca...
U.S. and Canadian law enforcement agencies have detained an alleged operator connected to the KimWolf botnet, a cybercrime platform known for conducting large-scale DDoS attacks us...
A newly identified Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) platform named Kali365 is actively targeting Microsoft 365 users by abusing OAuth device authentication flows to bypass multi-facto...