The Catholic Foundation: A Target for Ransomware Attacks

The Catholic Foundation, an independent, authentically Catholic charitable organization that maximizes personal giving to transform lives through parishes, education, vocations, and ministries, has been targeted by the ransomware group vicesociety. Established in 1984, the organization manages endowment funds for parishes in the diocese of Columbus, Ohio. It is renowned for its commitment to connecting Catholics with needs, opportunities, and updates in and around their 23-county diocese.

The Catholic Foundation's mission and operations indicate its significant impact on the local Catholic community, potentially handling sensitive financial and personal data. This makes it a notable target for cybercriminals.

Ransomware attacks, such as the one claimed by vicesociety, can have devastating consequences for organizations. These include data loss, system downtime, and potential reputational damage. Consequently, The Catholic Foundation, alongside similar entities, must prioritize the protection of its digital assets and the implementation of robust cybersecurity measures to mitigate the risks of such attacks.

Sources

• The Catholic Foundation of Ohio • See What We See: https://catholic-foundation.org/
• Catholic archdiocese shares information about data security breach: https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/catholic-archdiocese-shares-information-about-data-security-breach
• Dark web hackers target Catholic Charities: Archdiocese of Miami: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/03/16/dark-web-hackers-target-catholic-charities-archdiocese-of-miami/
• Cybercrime groups find a new target: religious institutions: https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/cybercrime-groups-find-a-new-target-religious-institutions
• Blackbaud, Inc. informed Catholic Foundation of ransomware attack: https://www.blackbaud.com/securityincident
• CommonSpirit Health faces class action over data breach: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cybersecurity/commonspirit-health-faces-class-action-over-data-breach.html