Houston Northwest Baptist Church, dedicated to transparency and safeguarding personal information, recently experienced a cybersecurity incident. An unauthorized individual accessed one of its employee email mailboxes, prompting an immediate investigation. The church engaged IT and forensic experts to determine the nature and extent of the breach. On June 7, 2024, it was discovered that some personally identifiable information (PII) might have been exposed. Despite having no evidence suggesting misuse of the information, the church decided to notify affected individuals as a precaution.
The compromised email mailbox may have contained various types of PII, including names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and other government-issued identification details. The potential exposure of such sensitive information led the church to take precautionary measures to protect those affected. To address concerns, Houston Northwest is offering complimentary CyberScan dark web monitoring and credit monitoring services for one year.
In response to the breach, the church is enhancing its security protocols to prevent future incidents. This includes implementing multi-factor authentication and providing additional training to employees on data protection. By strengthening its administrative and technical security measures, Houston Northwest aims to bolster its defenses against unauthorized access and other cyber threats.
Additionally, the church is offering identity theft protection services through IDX, a leading data breach and recovery services expert. This protection includes credit and CyberScan monitoring, a $1,000,000 insurance reimbursement policy, and managed identity theft recovery services. Affected individuals are encouraged to enroll in these services to monitor and safeguard their personal information.
