A global non-profit has launched a new mapping database designed to help NGOs and high-risk individuals find the resources they need to stay secure online.
Common Good Cyber launched the initiative late last week at an event marking its first anniversary, at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
The Common Good Cyber Mapping Database currently features 334 “public interest-driven” security tools and services, organized into six groups: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover.
The project also has support from the UK FCDO and the European Union Institute for Security Studies.
Read more on non-profit threats: How Non-Profits and NGOs Deal with Cyber-Attacks
Common Good Cyber, which was founded by international non-profit the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), claimed that over 10 million NGOs worldwide face cyber-threats, but many don’t receive the support they need to mitigate these risks. Cyber-related disruption to such organizations can lead to financial losses and has a direct human cost to victims, it added.
“Organizations and people must navigate an increasingly dangerous digital landscape. Security should be fundamental and available to everyone like safe drinking water, but instead digital security is a daily struggle, managed by people and at-risk actors with help from resources provided by non-profits with limited means themselves,” argued GCA president and CEO, Philip Reitinger.
“Common Good Cyber is committed to changing this – improving security and resilience for everyone and supporting the cybersecurity-focused nonprofits that protect us all.”
Around a third of charities (32%) reported some form of cybersecurity breach or attack in the 12 months prior to April 2024, according to a government report.
In 2023, US-based charity Freecycle suffered a data breach exposing usernames, User IDs, email addresses and passwords.
The same year, US non-profit Maternal & Family Health Services (MFHS) was reportedly struck by a ransomware attack that exposed sensitive information.
Threat levels are so high in the sector that the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) released guidance for the country’s charities back in 2023.
With a combined income of £100bn, the UK’s 200,000 charities boast around six million volunteers and full-time employees.