Nonprofits, civil society organizations, and charities are increasingly the victims of cyberattacks. In the past year, NGOs were the second most targeted sector by cybercriminals[1]. The proliferation of cloud-based technologies coupled with the move to remote work during the pandemic has dramatically increased the attack surface for cybercriminals. These factors combined have created a perfect storm for nonprofits trying to keep up with the continuously changing cyber threats.
More than 50 percent of NGOs report that they have been targeted by a cyberattack, yet only 14% have a cybersecurity strategy[2]. Nonprofits often possess valuable data about donors, beneficiaries and employees making them a target of choice for cyber criminals. They are less likely than for-profit organizations to have adequate cybersecurity programs in place. Attacks impact not only bank accounts and reputation of the targeted organization, but they also put at risk beneficiaries’ data. Moreover, cyberattacks have the potential to disrupt the delivery of critical services and threaten populations who are already in vulnerable situations.
Today’s reality is that nonprofit organizations share the same security concerns as businesses. However they have particular needs inherent to their mission-driven orientation and usually very limited cybersecurity resources.
This event will seek to address challenges and best practices for nonprofit organizations, with the participation of multiple stakeholders, including local government representatives, experts in the field of cybersecurity and NGOs. It will combine testimonials, roundtable discussions, and awareness raising to enable NGOs to boost their cyber skills.
A follow-up workshop, focused on General Security Assessment, will be scheduled to allow interested organizations to go deeper in the analysis of key cyber security aspects and implement some specific measures to improve their overall cyber security situation.
