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Cybersecurity Threats: Staying Alert as a Nonprofit Organization

The end goal of many nonprofit organizations is to maximize the number of donations received in order to make the biggest impact on their chosen causes. However, the concern is that the nonprofit sector is seen as a prime target for criminals. According to research from Nonprofits Decoded, around six cyberattacks occur every four minutes within the nonprofit sector. Many hackers are aware of the fact that far too many organizations choose to prioritize strengthening their missions over internal cybersecurity. In 2019, the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network found that 59% of nonprofit respondents did not do any cybersecurity training for their staff. Taking preventative measures and identifying red flags in emails, text messages, or websites can save businesses thousands of dollars and can ensure that personal data is kept safe. 

Instead of spending large sums on upgrading security, it would be beneficial to increase education on the different types of threats and vulnerabilities most prevalent in the nonprofit sector. Below is a list of the top three most common cyberattacks used by hackers to target nonprofits with tips on how to stay #CyberSafe. 

Top Three Cyberattacks to affect Nonprofit Organizations:

  1. Malware: Malicious software that performs unauthorized actions to spy, control or steal information. This could be attempts to spy on donation links in an attempt to steal money
  2. Phishing: Attacker aims to deceive the victim into revealing sensitive information. An example of this could be attempts to deceive donors into revealing sensitive information such as their credit card details.
  3. Denial of Service (DoS): Attacker restricts a system’s performance by sending disruptive spam requests. For instance, a hacker may deliberately slow down traffic on a website to prevent more people from reaching the page.

What to look out for:

  • Is the domain name spelled correctly?
  • Is the email poorly written and conveys a sense of urgency?
  • Does the message contain a suspicious attachment?
  • Has your computer become sluggish, and do pop-up messages appear consistently?
  • Has there been an increase in network activity and an increase in access violations?

How we can help

Our team of experts is 8570 compliant (Tech II and III) and holds industry standard certifications such as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Security+ and  Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Host Based Security System (HBSS) certifications, complementing our extensive hands-on experience of implementing Firewalls, Intrusion Prevention/Detection Systems, Email Security, Computer Network Defense (CND), and PKI among other related competencies.

Register for a Complimentary Cybersecurity Webinar 

Cybersecurity is often an uncomfortable topic and overwhelming for nonprofit leaders and boards of directors that may not possess a tech background. We understand the hesitation, but social impact work leverage tools such as electronic donations, SMS campaigns, digital wallets, social media, crypto contributions, and virtual/hybrid events. You can fortify your security without a deep expenditure of funds. Nonprofits and the people they serve can least afford to be victims of cybercrime.

A cyberattack occurs roughly once every 39 seconds. More than 800,000 people fall victim to cyberattacks each year. Cybercrime rates have increased by 300% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations lose more than $17,000 every minute due to phishing.

Join us on February 22, 2023, at 1 pm EST for our webinar, Protecting Your Nonprofit From Cyber Threats: A Comprehensive Strategy. We will feature experienced and thoughtful cybersecurity experts who provide real-world strategies for nonprofits to strengthen security and increase protection against cyber threats. This webinar is for any nonprofit leader who aims to increase impact while mitigating cyber risks. We look forward to seeing you there! Register here.