Date published: Sept. 24, 2020
Dear UD Community:
Thank you for your support of the University of Dallas. I am writing today to notify you of a data security incident involving a third-party service provider, Blackbaud Inc., with whom we contract. The University of Dallas takes the protection and proper use of your personal information very seriously, and we are contacting you to explain the incident.
We have been notified of a security incident by Blackbaud, a cloud services company that provides UD and thousands of other universities and nonprofit institutions worldwide with database solutions and payment processing services. According to Blackbaud’s statement, this incident occurred at some point beginning on Feb. 7, 2020, and the cybercriminal could have been active inside Blackbaud's computer systems intermittently until May 20, 2020. Prior to locking the cybercriminal out, copies of database backup files containing some personal information from an undisclosed number of Blackbaud clients, including UD, were removed.
Blackbaud has stated the cybercriminal did not access credit card, bank account information, or Social Security numbers. Also, based on the nature of the incident, Blackbaud's research, and third-party (including law enforcement) investigations, they believe
that no data “went beyond the cybercriminal, was or will be misused, or will be disseminated
or otherwise made available publicly.”
To help prevent something like this from happening in the future, Blackbaud has already implemented measures to further protect your data, noted here. As a best practice, we recommend you remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activity or suspected identity theft to us and to the proper law enforcement authorities.
We regret any inconvenience this may cause you, and we will not hesitate to take appropriate action if we learn your data has been further compromised. Should you have any further questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me at president@udallas.edu or our advancement team at udrelations@udallas.edu.
Sincerely,
 |
Thomas S. Hibbs, Ph.D., BA ’82 MA ’83
President
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