Sexual Assault Centre Kingston faces cyber attack

Organization chooses not to expand on details of the situation

Article content The Sexual Assault Centre Kingston (SACK) is remaining mum following a recent cyber attack against the agency. SACK initially acknowledged the breach in an Instagram post on July 9, urging the public not to open attachments or links sent from @sackingston.com email addresses, “even if the sender looks familiar.” The following day, the organization shared a second post clarifying that it was the target of a “cyber spoofing incident.”

“We want to reassure our community that there is no evidence that client data, personal information, or passwords were compromised — only our email accounts were affected,” SACK stated in the post. “As soon as we became aware of the issue, we took immediate action and implemented additional security measures to protect our systems and prevent further unauthorized activity.” In a statement to the Whig, SACK’s acting Executive Director, Jenn Byrd, confirmed that they “responded immediately once the external threat was identified” and worked swiftly to implement additional security measures.

However, despite requests for an explanation from the Whig, the organization did not expand on the specific measures taken. Byrd reiterated that there is no evidence client records, personal information, or passwords were leaked or accessed. She did not, however, address whether unauthorized actors had access to incoming personal emails sent to SACK.

Instead, Byrd encouraged everyone “to remain vigilant with all emails, from known or unknown senders, with links, or attachments and to contact the sender directly (not by replying to the email) if they are unsure whether an email is legitimate.” She added, “SAC Kingston deeply values the ongoing support from our community. We understand that situations like this can be concerning, and we truly appreciate your patience, understanding, and partnership as we continue to strengthen our collective efforts to eradicate any type of violence, including cyber threats.”

Shortly after the incident, on July 13, SACK posted a job opening for a new executive director. It remains unclear whether the cyber incident is connected to the hiring post, and Byrd did not respond to the Whig’s request for clarification.