About The Episcopal Church Foundation
The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) is a non-profit organization based in New York, NY. Recently, ECF experienced a data breach affecting the personal and confidential business information of approximately 1,475 individuals, including 13 residents of Maine. The breach occurred between February 7, 2025, and February 17, 2025, and was discovered on February 17, 2025. The breach involved an external system breach (hacking) that compromised ECF’s IT systems.
What Happened
ON FEBRUARY 17, 2025, ECF LEARNED THAT A THIRD-PARTY IT VENDOR THAT MANAGED SOME OF OUR IT SYSTEMS EXPERIENCED A CYBERSECURITY INCIDENT. THIS INCIDENT RESULTED IN UNAUTHORIZED ACTIVITY ON ECF’S IT SYSTEMS. UPON DISCOVERING THIS ACTIVITY, WE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TAKING STEPS TO STOP IT, INCLUDING SEVERING OUR CONNECTION WITH THE THIRD-PARTY IT VENDOR AND TAKING CERTAIN SYSTEMS OFFLINE. AN INVESTIGATION WAS LAUNCHED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF EXTERNAL CYBERSECURITY EXPERTS. WE ALSO NOTIFIED LAW ENFORCEMENT. WE SUBSEQUENTLY DETERMINED THAT CERTAIN ECF FILES HAD BEEN ACCESSED AND ACQUIRED DURING THE UNAUTHORIZED ACTIVITY. WE INITIATED A REVIEW TO DETERMINE IF ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION AND CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION WERE INCLUDED IN THOSE FILES AND TO WHOM THAT PERSONAL INFORMATION PERTAINED.
The data breach affected 1,475 individuals, including unauthorized access to certain ECF files by a third-party IT vendor on February 17, 2025. The breach was promptly addressed by disconnecting from the vendor and taking systems offline.
Next Steps
Affected individuals should remain vigilant against potential identity theft or fraud. It is recommended to regularly review and monitor account statements and credit reports for any signs of unauthorized activity. ECF has notified law enforcement and is working with cybersecurity experts to strengthen its security controls. Additionally, affected individuals are encouraged to enroll in the complimentary credit monitoring services offered by ECF to help protect their personal information.
Identity Theft Protection Services
ECF is offering affected individuals complimentary 24-month membership to TransUnion’s triple bureau credit monitoring and fraud assistance services. These services include identity detection and resolution services in case of identity theft, provided they enroll by the specified date. Affected individuals can activate their membership and start monitoring their personal information by visiting TransUnion’s website and using the provided activation code. These services are offered at no charge and aim to provide proactive fraud assistance and protection.