Why Hackers Target Nonprofits & How to Defend Against It

Securing managed IT services has become crucial for non-profit organization, as they use more digital technologies into daily operations. Non-profits and associations often operate on a strict budget, thus spending money on technology can be a challenge for them. However, data security is essential for attracting donors, sponsors, and volunteers.

Why Do Hackers Target Nonprofits?

If nonprofits believe that hackers will not do significant damage or, even worse, suppose that cybercriminals won’t target them, they may face a surprise.

Nonprofits invite attention mostly for their financial data. Donation or fundraising portals that lack appropriate security are a prime source for sensitive bank and credit card information.?

Additionally, nonprofits hold plenty of critical client information as Social Security numbers or health records. This provides another stimulus to attack their systems, as such data can be used for fraud, blackmail, or other related crimes.

On top of that, even if hackers get less-valuable information such as emails, they could bombard their victims with advertising, phishing attempts and other kinds of unwanted emails.

Nonprofits Commonly Lack Strong Cybersecurity

While the permanently evolving tactics of cybercriminals can seem frightening, nonprofit organizations can take proactive steps to protect themselves.

1. Train your employees.?Many cybercrimes happen owing to employee mistakes, such as using weak passwords or falling for a phishing scam. Train your team what to search for to spot phishing emails; misspelled words, blurry logos, company URLs which seems strange. In case of doubt, close the email and open up a separate browser to log in and check for messages. Training is often enough to prevent many cybercrimes.
2. Upgrade security software.?Invest in appropriate security software and take the time to update it when prompted by the vendor.
3. Upgrade hardware and software.?Older computer devices and software are more easily hacked than newer products. Allocate a budget for updates to your hardware and software on a regular basis.
4. Use strong passwords.?Insist that all employees use strong passwords, and make sure everyone changes their passwords periodically. Strong passwords normally consist of random arrangements of lowercase and capital letters, numbers, and symbols.
5. Create a documented Incident Response Plan.?The actions to take if systems are compromised ought to be clearly documented and understood. If roles and steps are delineated in advance people can launch into action immediately. For instance, if there is a ransomware attack, who is going to take things offline? This should all be clear well before a cyberattack happens.

Cloud IT! bridges professionals and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software, hardware and services that can help you work smoothly. Please contact us at +1 416 623 8052 for more information.

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