Cyber Security for Charities

charities website security

During 2020, over a quarter of UK charities (26%) reported falling victim to cyber security breaches.

In the seven months between March and October of 2020 a quarter of charities (26%) fell victim to cyber security breaches. However, the true scale is believed to be bigger as not all charities externally report cyber breaches due to the fear of reputational and financial damages.

Among the charities that have a data breach one in five (18%) lose money, data or other assets and 40% report being negatively impacted for one or more of these reasons:

• post-breach measures
• diverting of staff time
• hiring technical experts
• wider business disruption

The businesses that were faced with breaches experienced an average cost, of all the cyber security breaches, to be estimated at £8,460. For medium and large firms the average cost is higher, at £13,400.

A cyber-attack is likely to have a significant detrimental impact on the longevity of a charity, as estimates suggest that 60% of small to mid-sized organisations who experience a cyber-attack fold within 6 months.

A report from the charity Pro Bono Economics shows the charity sector generates £200bn in economic output. This has led to the sector increasingly becoming more of a target for fraud, and the implications of cyber-attacks are greater than ever.

Get in touch with us, to discuss how we can help your charity improve its cyber security.