July 7, 2021

Dear Community Members, 

I am writing to inform you of a cybersecurity incident that affected the Jewish Federation of Edmonton. While there is no indication at this time that any personal information was compromised, out of an abundance of caution we want to make you aware of what we know and what we are doing.

WHAT HAPPENED

We were notified by our external IT contractor that the Kaseya brand software they use to manage their clients’ IT networks, including ours, was compromised over the weekend. They assured us that they followed their established protocols and immediately shut down their servers to limit the breach. This is part of a broader cyberattack that affected businesses around the world.

WHAT INFORMATION WAS INVOLVED?

As far as we know at this stage, no personal information appears to have been compromised. We are working very closely with our suppliers and contractors to confirm this. We take the protection of your personal information very seriously, and we want to be upfront with you about what we know and the steps we are taking. This is our highest priority and we will update you as soon as we know more.

Some of our internal systems and files have been affected, and we expect that this will slow down some aspects of our day to day work in the short to medium terms. 

WHAT WE ARE DOING

We are working closely with our IT contractor, our database supplier, and other IT experts to determine the extent to which our Jewish Federation has been affected, and we have engaged new IT consultants with cybersecurity expertise.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

As a precaution, donors may wish to monitor their credit card charges and contact their financial institution and credit card providers for guidance.

EMAIL & ONLINE REGISTRATION REMAIN SECURE

It is still safe to receive and open emails from Jewish Federation of Edmonton, like the E-Weekly and the CEO’s Friday Message. You can also continue to register and pay for events online.

MORE INFORMATION AND UPDATES

We deeply value the trust you have placed in us over the years, and we are committed to maintaining open lines of communication with you. I want to thank you personally for your continued support of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, which our staff and leadership appreciate greatly.

As we learn more about how the Jewish Federation of Edmonton was affected, we will share that with you via email.

Sincerely,

Stacey Leavitt-Wright

Chief Executive Officer