The Evide data breach was a

data breach A data breach is a security violation, in which sensitive, protected or confidential data is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen or used by an individual unauthorized to do so. Other terms are unintentional information disclosure, data leak, info ...

caused by

ransomware Ransomware is a type of malware from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim's personal data or permanently block access to it unless a ransom is paid off. While some simple ransomware may lock the system without damaging any files, ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

Evide

Evide is a company based in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

which specialises in data storage and analysis for charities. Evide manages data for around 140 organisations. At least four of the affected organisations deal with survivors of

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

Events

Breach

The

Police Service of Northern Ireland The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ') is the police, police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabu ...

has confirmed that it was contacted in March about a cyber attack and it was investigating. Gardaí are cooperating with them, including the

Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau is the branch of the Garda Síochána that investigates computer crime, including providing digital forensics. History The unit was established in 1991 as part of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and k ...

. The charity One in Four was told of the breach on 5 April 2023.

Disclosure

The news of the breach was made public on 17 April 2023.

Impact

A number of organisations were affected, including the Dublin-based charity One in Four, which supports adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Maeve Lewis, CEO of One in Four, told

RTÉ News RTÉ News and Current Affairs ( ga, Nuacht agus Cúrsaí Reatha RTÉ), also known as RTÉ News (''Nuacht RTÉ''), is the national news service provided by Irish public broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Its services include local, nationa ...

that personal data, including phone numbers and email addresses had been stolen. However, letters and reports to child protection services were not taken. About 1000 people who had been engaged with One in Four might be affected. One in Four contacted Evide to ask them to take legal action against the attackers as One in Four was not directly attacked. Orchardville, an organisation based in Northern Ireland, said that it was not sure if any of its data was affected. Charities affected could be investigated by the

Data Protection Commissioner The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (Irish: An Coimisinéir Cosanta Sonraí) (DPC), also known as Data Protection Commission, is the independent national authority responsible for upholding the EU fundamental right of individuals to ...

Reactions

Ossian Smyth Ossian Smyth is an Irish Green Party politician who has served as a Minister of State since July 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since 2020. Smyth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Trin ...

said the investigation was in early stages and urged caution as some stories circulating may not be true.

References

External links

Evide
- home page of the targeted company {{Hacking in the 2020s Data breaches 2023 crimes 2023 in computing Cybercrime