On July 16, 2020, Arizona Public Media (AZPM) was informed of a data security incident by a third-party vendor we use called Blackbaud. AZPM employed a Blackbaud platform called Research Point last spring to help us understand individuals’ philanthropic interests and demographics. The Blackbaud incident affected more than 47,000 nonprofits and higher education institutions around the world, including several in Arizona.
Blackbaud informed its customers that it discovered and stopped a ransomware attack and, with the help of independent forensics experts and law enforcement, successfully prevented the cybercriminal from blocking or encrypting files. A detailed explanation is available on Blackbaud’s website.
Based on the nature of the incident, the research Blackbaud performed, and its third-party investigators, Blackbaud informs us that it has no reason to believe that any data went beyond the cybercriminal, or that the data has been misused or disseminated publicly. Blackbaud has said that it has hired a third-party team of experts to continue monitoring for any such activity.
As reported by Blackbaud and based on the information that AZPM provided to Blackbaud for its services, the data that was involved in the incident did not contain sensitive, personally identifiable information, including credit card information, bank account information, or Social Security numbers. AZPM does not keep information of that nature on file.
AZPM takes the protection and proper use of your information very seriously and is contacting you only as a precautionary and informational measure. As a best practice, we recommend that you remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious online or financial activity to the proper law enforcement authorities.
We will post any further updates regarding this incident on our website.
We value your trust in AZPM and we sincerely apologize for any concern or inconvenience this incident may have caused. Please do not hesitate to email us at with any questions or concerns you may have.
By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.