Information about an AFCEA International Vendor’s Data Breach.

AFCEA has been informed that a vendor who handles registration for many AFCEA events recently experienced a ransomware attack, and this may have resulted in registration and membership information being accessed. We do not yet know all the details of this breach. Forensic and law enforcement investigations are underway, and here is what we know in the interim.

What Happened

On March 14, 2021, Spargo, Incorporated reported a ransomware attack that encrypted some of its systems. A cybersecurity firm was brought in, and during the forensic analysis of the attack, it was discovered several days later that a subset of information from registration and membership contact datasets may have been accessed. Spargo reports that relevant authorities have been informed as required by law, including GDPR.

Potentially Exposed Personal Information

• Name

• Address

• Email address

• Phone number

• Fax number

• Job Title

• Organizational Affiliation

Believed to be Uncompromised Personal Information

To our knowledge, none of the following information was compromised

• Credit card or other financial information

• Passwords

• Social Security Number

• Birthdates

• Driver’s Licenses

How We are Addressing the Breach

AFCEA is receiving updates on the ongoing forensic analysis of the incident from Spargo. We will notify you if we determine that your information was included in the data that was compromised.

What Should You Do to Protect Your Information?

To our knowledge, no financial information, passwords, social security numbers, birthdates or driver’s license numbers were compromised. However, it is possible that, if your information was taken, your contact information may be used illegally. We recommend that you monitor your personally identifiable information (PII) and report any suspicious activity to the relevant institutions or services.

AFCEA invests heavily in protecting your data and ensuring your privacy, and we take any potential intrusion into your information seriously. We are actively working with Spargo to further investigate the breach and assessing ways to improve the security of data handling going forward. Questions regarding this incident should be sent to AFCEAdataUpdate@spargoinc.com.

LtGen Robert (Bob) Shea, USMC (Ret.)

President and CEO, AFCEA international

AFCEA International

4114 Legato Road, Suite 1000, Fairfax, VA 22033-4002

703-631-6100