The Bible Society has been fined £100,000 over computer security failings that allowed hackers to access the personal details of more than 400,000 mainly Christian backers.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the details of supporters – including home addresses, telephone numbers and bank accounts – were compromised by cyber attackers who guessed the “weak password” of one the charity’s databases.
The password was the same as the username on the account, set up in 2009 but not hacked until November 2016. The account contained details of 417,000 Bible Society supporters.
The ICO complained, in issuing the large fine, that the cyber attack caused “distress” because the “religious belief of the 417,000 supporters could be inferred”.