RNLI warns supporters their personal information may have been hacked
The RNLI has warned its supporters that personal data may have been compromised in a cyber-attack on its customer relationship management provider, Beacon CRM. This security breach occurred while the charity faced increased harassment from far-right activists opposing its rescue of migrants in small boats. Although the attacker claims the stolen data will be deleted, the RNLI advises members to assume their information was taken, with no current evidence of misuse.
- ▪The RNLI advised members to assume their personal data was stolen after a cyber-attack on Beacon CRM affected approximately 1,500 charities in late July.
- ▪Far-right activists recently targeted the RNLI by blockading roads and protesting at headquarters over the charity's rescue of asylum seekers in small boats.
- ▪The Portsmouth lifeboat station temporarily closed and removed its social media presence following intimidation and physical abuse directed at its crew members.
- ▪Beacon CRM reported that the cyber-attacker contacted them to indicate the exfiltrated data would be deleted and not retained, sold, or shared.
- ▪Despite a donation boycott campaign by protesters, the RNLI reported a significant boost in fundraising following the recent controversies.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — World |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/20/rnli-warns-supporters-personal-information-hacked |
| Publication time | Sun, 20 Sep 2026 12:28:57 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-20T12:43:48.715Z |
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A company the RNLI uses for customer relations was targeted, the charity revealed. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/ShutterstockView image in fullscreenA company the RNLI uses for customer relations was targeted, the charity revealed. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/ShutterstockRNLIRNLI warns supporters their personal information may have been hackedData raid comes amid targeting of lifeboat charity by far-right agitators who object to migrant boat rescuesHaroon Siddique Legal affairs correspondentSun 20 Sep 2026 08.28 EDTLast modified on Sun 20 Sep 2026 08.30 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleSupporters of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) have been warned that their personal information could have been stolen by hackers amid targeting of the charity by far-right agitators.In a…
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