Cyber Security for Charities

May 10, 2023 |

In today’s digital landscape, charities face increasing cyber threats that can compromise sensitive data and damage their reputation. Safeguarding your organisation’s information is crucial to maintaining trust and ensuring the continuity of your charitable work. By implementing simple cyber security measures, you can significantly enhance your defences. In this post, I will explore valuable tips to help your cyber security for charities and enable you to bolster your cyber security posture.

Use Multi-factor Authentication (MFA):

Implementing MFA adds an extra layer of security to your accounts by requiring multiple forms of authentication. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorised access even if a password is compromised. Enable MFA for your email, cloud storage, social media and other critical business applications.

Implement Strong Password Policies:

Encourage your staff and volunteers to use complex passwords that include a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Discourage them from reusing passwords across different accounts. Consider implementing a password manager to securely generate and store strong passwords.

Educate Your Staff and Volunteers:

Start by ensuring that all staff and volunteers are aware of the importance of cyber security. Conduct at least annual training sessions to educate them about potential threats, such as phishing emails and suspicious websites. Teach them how to create strong, unique passwords and emphasise the significance of MFA.

Update Software Regularly:

Outdated software can leave your charity vulnerable to cyber attacks. Regularly update your operating systems, applications, and security software to ensure you have the latest patches and bug fixes. Enable automatic updates whenever possible to streamline the process.

Backup Your Data:

Regularly backing up your charity’s data is crucial. Choose a secure, reliable cloud-based backup solution or an offline backup method to protect your critical information. Test the restoration process periodically to ensure the backups are functioning correctly.

Secure Your Wi-Fi Network:

A secure Wi-Fi network is vital for protecting sensitive charity data. Change the default router password and ensure that you use strong encryption, such as WPA2 or WPA3. Additionally, create a separate guest network for visitors and ensure that it is isolated from your internal network.

So that is how you can do cyber security for charities

Cyber security is of paramount importance for charities, as it protects sensitive data and preserves the trust of supporters. By following these essential cyber security tips, charities can significantly strengthen their defences against cyber threats. Maintain a proactive approach to cyber security for charities, regularly review and update your security measures, and stay vigilant to evolving risks. With robust cyber security measures in place, your charity can continue making a positive impact while safeguarding its digital assets.

L2 Cyber Security can help you with all of the above if you want

We are a completely independent cyber security consultancy. We have no solutions or products to sell and are a small business, so we can focus on delivering appropriate and relevant services to this sector. Also, we offer a 10% discount on all of our standard rates to registered charities.

If you want to carry out your own cyber risk assessment, we suggest that you use the ENISA (the EU Agency for Cybersecurity) on-line assessment tool.

Let’s be careful out there.

#SecuritySimplified

Posted in Cyber Security and tagged Charities, Charity, Cyber, Cyber Security, Cyber Security for Charities, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity for Charities