A compromised AWS access key was the likely root cause of the cyber-attack on CRM provider Beacon, which has exposed personal information held by around 1500 UK charities. The software provider said in an August 12 incident update that the access key was potentially exposed in public Javascript build artifacts. This suggests an error was made in the course of software development. Beacon has assessed that the attacker used these valid credentials to access and download all data contained within the CRM platform, including attachment files, thereby impacting its entire 1500-strong customer base of charitable organizations. This includes personal information held by charities operating in highly sensitive areas, such as healthcare and victim support. While the data was encrypted at rest in AWS, the threat actor’s valid credentials meant its downloads would have been decrypted by AWS and available in readable form.

Full report : Beacon CRM Confirms Full Database Theft After AWS Access Key Breach.