The Toronto Zoo has revealed the full extent of a devastating cyberattack that compromised 23 years’ worth of guest and member transaction data along with decades of crucial wildlife conservation research.

The attack, which occurred in January 2024, was reportedly carried out by the Akira ransomware group, raising serious concerns about data security in conservation organizations.

Hackers infiltrated the zoo’s systems, stealing transaction records from 2000 to April 2023. The compromised data includes names, street addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses (for some individuals), along with the last four digits of credit card numbers and expiration dates (for transactions between January 2022 and April 2023).

“A copy of transaction data was taken and was leaked on the dark web last year,” the zoo said in its statement. “The way the data was leaked has made it difficult to download. It is currently not published, though this could change.”

Officials warn that those affected should remain vigilant against phishing scams and fraudulent activity, as cybercriminals may attempt to exploit the leaked information.

Fortunately, no animals were harmed, but the attack resulted in another devastating loss: decades’ worth of wildlife conservation research. The Toronto Zoo has played a vital role in breeding and reintroducing endangered species into the wild, making this setback significant for global conservation efforts.

“This cyber incident has been extremely challenging for us, particularly our current and past employees who had personal information compromised but also due to the loss of decades of wildlife conservation research that was lost as well,” the zoo said in its update.

The Toronto Zoo first reported the breach on Jan. 17, 2024, initially believing only employee data was affected. As the full scale of the attack became clear, the zoo launched an investigation and reported the incident to the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC).

In response, the zoo has strengthened its cybersecurity defenses to better detect and prevent future attacks.