It’s Time for Cybersecurity to Go Pro Bono

"As asylum seekers and other vulnerable people are required to give up more and more of their personal information to agencies charged with protecting them, the human rights organizations that work to help such populations become targets of cyberattacks themselves.

Cyber abusers see them as a portal to get to their victims. The recent discovery of a significant messaging app vulnerability used to target human rights groups is just one example of these malicious efforts, but provides significant cause for alarm.

While law enforcement and international bodies must work hard to prevent these digital attacks, leaders in civil society can start acting now to ensure the security of their organizations and of the people who come to them for protection and help.

Unfortunately, for many organizations, it’s hard to prioritize and fund cybersecurity. Very often, the cost of cybersecurity is a constraining factor for all organizations, and those who protect vulnerable populations have limited resources to fund the security of their networks. Additionally, most organizations focus their resources on direct services or driving impact, rather than on “back office” issues like network protection, data security or cybersecurity more generally..."

Continue reading