Charities should be aware of “WannaCry” and “Petya”. These are the cyber attacks that have brought organisations to a standstill recently. Many charities are not investing in adequate levels of cyber protection. The Charity Commission has warned that charities could be at risk and should be vigilant. Further Matthew Hancock the digital minister has said charities “must do better” to protect sensitive information they hold as it emerged that many smaller organisations rely on external IT providers to protect their data.
Data protection legislation requires that for every charity that controls personal data, for example information about staff or donors, “appropriate technical and organisational measures must be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data”. A cyber-attack will usually result in unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data. So charities need to take steps to resist cyber-attacks in order to comply with the law.
Technical measures include use of appropriate antivirus software, software updates and patches.
Organisational measures include raising awareness amongst staff and keeping working practices under review. Typical areas of vulnerability are:
Mobile and remote working. A range of measures can be taken to minimise the risk involved in working remotely. For example, charities can keep the amount of data stored on a mobile device down to the minimum necessary to carry out the required business activity.
Passwords. With individuals now expected to maintain numerous separate passwords, requiring users to regularly change their passwords is now considered to be potentially counterproductive. Password rules are necessary, but they should be simple and easy to follow.
Email. Training to help staff to spot increasingly sophisticated phishing and spoofing, and avoid clicking on links or attachments, can reduce the risk of malware being introduced into systems.
Being the victim of a cyber-attack can be very unfortunate. But those organisations that have not taken appropriate technical and organisational measures to guard against these attacks will still be accountable for the loss. Staff must receive adequate training to deal with online attacks.
Cyber attacks – what charities need to do
Similar Articles
Trading Subsidiaries – ... The purpose of trading subsidiaries of charities is simple. The wholly owned trading subsidiary undertakes the commercial trading activities that do not fall within the objects of
New rules disqualifying f... From 1 August 2018, new rules extend the criteria disqualifying certain individuals from acting as trustees or holding senior management positions in charities. The Charity Commission has
Charity Commission encour... For advice on how to safely donate to charities working to relieve the humanitarian crisis in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe as result of Cyclone Idai go to
Persons of Significant Co... From 6 April 2016 most companies (including charity companies) will need to set-up their PSC register and identify whether they have any PSCs, and from 30 June
Charities in Scotland are... The Scottish Government has launched a grants scheme to help Scottish charities boost their cyber security. Managed by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the scheme
London Olympics legacy f... More amateur sports charities have been set up and the sector’s income has increased in the years following the London 2012 Olympics, an analysis by the Charities
Charity Fundraising Regul... The Fundraising Regulator has just set up its new website at www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk. It is due to start work this summer. It is the independent regulator of charitable
Charities using social me... The Charity Commission advises that if your charity uses social media, you are responsible for: agreeing and putting in place a social media policy so that you
1% of charities get most ... Only 1% of charities received 75% of charitable income last year.Charities in England and Wales had a combined income of £72 billion in 2015 according to the
Recruitment of new truste... In accordance with the Charities Act, an individual is currently prevented from acting as a charity trustee if they have an unspent conviction for an offence of