Dear long-time Ceiva customer,

We recently experienced an extended system outage, and we want to begin with a sincere apology. We deeply understand the impact this disruption had on you and your loved ones, especially at this time of year, and we are truly sorry.

The outage was caused by a ransomware attack known as “Chaos25.” This is a highly sophisticated, destructive, and aggressive form of malicious software created and operated by international criminal entities. The group behind it uses vicious “double extortion” tactics. The version we encountered was modern and advanced, and unfortunately there were no industry tools available to reverse the damage it caused.

The attackers did not obtain personal or financial records. Ceiva does not retain financial information, and no personal records were stored on the systems that were attacked. A very small number of images were affected, but there was no associated identifying information—no names, no accounts, and no personal data linked to those images.

Although the actual data loss was minimal, the destruction to our systems was extensive, which is why restoring service took longer than any of us would have wanted.

Ceiva began in 1999—long before there was a “consumer” version of the internet. From the very beginning, privacy and security have been at the core of everything we do. At a time when it was considered acceptable to collect, use, or sell customer data, we refused. For more than 25 years, we have rejected that business model, and we continue to stand by that decision today. While this commitment limited our growth, we have never wavered in our belief that you should have complete control over your photos and who gets to see them.

We live in a very different world now—one where data collection has become mainstream and often unquestioned. We unequivocally reject that behavior. You have trusted us for a long time, and that trust matters deeply to us.

As a small way of saying thank you for your patience, we will be extending all subscriptions by an additional month.

We hope you continue to enjoy the simple, meaningful experience of seeing and sharing your photos on a countertop, desk, or table. Pictures—your pictures—are what motivate us every day. We truly appreciate you remaining a part of the Ceiva family.

Sincerely,
The Ceiva Team