BEACON CRM cyber security incident

Sussex Cancer Fund takes its responsibility to protect sensitive personal and business information very seriously.

On 3 August 2026, we were informed that Beacon, the customer relationship management system used by SCF to manage our supporter and fundraising information, had experienced a cyber-security incident.

What we know so far

Beacon have told us that an unauthorised third party gained access to its systems and may have downloaded copies of database backups. At present, it is not possible to confirm whether any SCF data was included. However, as we cannot be certain, we are treating the incident seriously and proceeding on the basis that information held within our database, including your personal information, may have been accessed.

What action have we taken

Beacon acted promptly to secure its systems, appointed external cyber-security specialists and also notified the ICO and the relevant authorities. It has confirmed that the vulnerability has been addressed and that there is currently no evidence of any continuing unauthorised access. 

SCF have followed data-protection and incident-response procedures and have reported the breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We have also taken steps to refresh secure access to our Beacon account including updating passwords.

SCF have also notified individuals who may have had their personal data compromised through this incident.

Why action should you take

Based on the information currently available, we consider the risk to those on our database to be low.  We think the current risk is that someone could use the information obtained to make a fraudulent email, telephone call or message appear more convincing.

As a sensible precaution, we recommend being particularly vigilant about unexpected emails, telephone calls or messages that appear to come from SCF, in particular you should –

• Check that any communication claiming to be from Sussex Cancer Fund comes from a genuine Sussex Cancer Fund email address.
• Be cautious about clicking links or opening attachments in unexpected messages.
• Never provide personal or financial information unless you are confident that you are communicating with us through an official channel.
• If you receive any communication that appears to be suspicious, please contact us directly using our published contact details.

We are monitoring the situation closely and will provide any further update here.