A number of Christian organisations have been affected by a cybersecurity incident, which may have led to supporters’ information being obtained.  

Beacon CRM, which manages data for more than 1,000 charities, has said there was unauthorised access to its systems, containing data it processes on behalf of customers. Information is likely to have been downloaded by a third party. 

Keswick Ministries, Operation Mobilisation (OM), Christians in Sport, Kintsugi Hope, ReSource and Living Out are among the groups which have written to their supporters, informing them of the breach. 

The system is used by the organisations to communicate with those who engage with their ministries. Data which charities store in the system may include mobile phone numbers, emails and postal addresses. 

A spokesperson for Beacon CRM told Premier Christian News: “We understand this is concerning and we’re taking it very seriously. We’ve already spoken with all our customers and our focus now is on supporting them as much as possible in any onward communication of their own regarding potential data impact. 

The spokesperson added that external experts were called in to contain and investigate the incident, with customers able to access its platform and services as normal. It is believed the attack happened on 29 July, with organisations being informed on 3 August. 

Those affected are being urged to stay alert to suspicious messages that purport to come from the affected organisations, which could be scams or phishing attempts. This is particularly the case if messages ask for personal details or payment information, suggest there have been changes to these details, or if messages come with unexpected links and attachments.