Non-profit organizations (NPOs) are vital in addressing different social, cultural, and humanitarian issues. Whereas charities, foundations, and educational institutions may be perceived as less of a target for cybercrime, there has been an increase in reported cyberattacks on these organizations over the years. Seen as an “easy target” for attackers, NPOs with weak defenses find themselves victims to numerous cybercrimes. Below summarizes the cybersecurity obstacles that NPOs face.
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NPOs collect and store sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII), donor information, employee records, and client files, making them a tempting target for hackers and malicious insiders. Unauthorized access to these data may result in crimes such as identity theft or fraud.
Manufacturing organizations invest substantial resources in research and development, resulting in valuable intellectual property (IP). Cyber attacks targeting IPs can lead to the theft of trade secrets, product designs, manufacturing processes, and sensitive customer data. This theft can undermine competitiveness, damaged reputation, and lead to significant financial losses.
Unlike huge corporations, one of the main challenges of NPOs is their limited financial resources. The lack of budget for cybersecurity prevents them from gaining access to the latest security software. Moreover, funding to hire cybersecurity experts is not a priority for NPOs. Outdated information systems and lack of data security expertise leave them vulnerable to cyberattacks such as malware, phishing, and social engineering, to name a few.
The growing cybersecurity incidents in Non-profit Organizations indicate that NPOs must also allocate resources for data security. Robust cyber protection may be challenging with its inherent constraints, but the consequences of a cyberattack can be destructive for these organizations. Apart from financial losses, a data breach can harm the NPO’s reputation, making it difficult for them to gain the trust of donors and volunteers- crucial for their organization’s survival. NPOs can strengthen their cyber resilience by applying the following measures:
Talk to an ExpertData Guard can help turn any organization from defenseless to cyber resilient. To help prevent technical breaches, we’re conducting vulnerability assessments and penetration tests to identify vulnerabilities in the digital environment. Our Data Security Awareness Programme will cover staff training on data protection and the protection of their digital assets. In addition, our team of highly skilled cyber experts can advise key stakeholders in the decision-making process on strengthening data safety measures is available.
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Guardian Absolute Program is DataGuard’s flagship comprehensive cybersecurity solution to protect organizations against various threats, combining security technologies, methodologies, and best practices to create a robust defense posture.
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