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Dear Mrs Perez

I am writing to notify you of a cyber incident which may have involved some of your data. Unfortunately, many UK and US healthcare, educational and not-for-profit organisations have been impacted by the same incident.

Blackbaud is one of our third-party service providers and is the world’s largest provider of database management systems for not-for-profit organisations and the Higher Education (HE) sector. We use a Blackbaud database to record engagement with members of the Academy community, including alumni and supporters, and we also use the system to send out emails and receive online donations.

On 16 July, Blackbaud informed us that they had been the victim of a ransomware attack in May 2020. The cybercriminal was able to remove a copy of a subset of data from many of their clients. Unfortunately, this included some data from the Royal Academy of Music, and I am contacting you today because we believe that some of your data may have been involved.

Blackbaud has confirmed to us that no encrypted information, including bank details, credit card information or passwords, has been compromised. However the data which was compromised may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, postal addresses and details of your engagement with the Academy.

A detailed forensic investigation was undertaken on behalf of Blackbaud, by law enforcement and third-party cyber security experts and Blackbaud has advised us that all compromised data has been destroyed.

We believe the risk attached to this incident is low and there is no action you need to take, but we wanted to share details of this incident with you and recommend that you are always aware of the possibility of identity theft or fraud. Please be cautious before opening or responding to emails you receive from any unexpected source.

The Royal Academy of Music will continue to work closely with Blackbaud, the HE sector and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to ensure that any risks to your data are mitigated.

You can read Blackbaud’s statement here for more information about the steps they have taken, and you can find out more about how the Academy handles your data by reading our Privacy Policy.

We are very sorry that this incident occurred. If you have any questions at all, please do get in touch with us at developmentinbox@ram.ac.uk. The Academy is incredibly grateful for your support and understanding.

Yours sincerely

Kirsty MacDonald
Deputy Principal (Advancement)
Royal Academy of Music