Update on the Network Incident

Good News
The forensic investigation into the security incident for some of International Headquarters systems has now concluded. As a reminder, under the direction of our insurance company and guidance from legal counsel, the church hired a leading computer forensic firm to assist us with investigating the January 2021 incident and confirming the security of the church’s systems. This process determined that the church was the victim of a ransomware attack that resulted in some of our files being locked or encrypted for a period of time. As a reminder, eTithing, AIP tracking, CofChrist.org email, the World Church’s General Ledger software, and the current payroll systems were not involved in this incident.
 
Fortunately, the investigation did not find evidence that any personal information or jurisdiction banking information was accessed or acquired by any unauthorized third party. The church is reviewing our technical security measures and taking steps to reduce the risk of this type of incident from occurring in the future. As previously announced, we have accelerated our upgrade program to move all our systems to cloud-based systems. This will allow us to implement the latest security measures identified by the experts. However, this requires more time than a simple data restoration on the existing network.  
 
We appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation as we move to improved systems. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].  
 
Shelby Access-Next Phase
Shelby access for field and mission center users that access Shelby at least once a month is in process. Instructions on how to regain Shelby access were emailed. If you support a field or mission center and feel you require Shelby access but did not receive instructions, please contact [email protected].  
Access for congregation users who access Shelby at least once a month will occur during March. Watch for email instructions around 16 March. If you are a congregation Shelby user and do not receive instructions by 16 March, please contact your Field Support Minister or International Services.
 
AIP Balance Users
​For people who previously had access to online AIP balances, the new application to view balances is available once you have access to Shelby. If you have access to Shelby and need the AIP Balance application, please email [email protected].   
 
Additionally, if you have access to the AIP Balance application but are missing some accounts you need to see, please email [email protected]. In your email, please send your new Remote Desktop Username (ends with CofChrist.org), your old Citrix username, and list the accounts that you are missing.