Figures from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 2022 report showed that 30% of charities identified breaches or attacks in the last 12 months - 44% said they identify attacks once a month!

The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022, published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, found that phishing was the most common attack charities face (87% of charities saying they had identified phishing attacks).

• The new report shows an increase of charities identifying breaches or cyber-attacks since 2018, 30% vs 19%.
• Just 26% of charities have completed a cyber risk assessment in the last 12 months and only 19% of charities have trained staff in cyber security.
• How can charities improve their cyber resilience?

The report showed that 30% of charities said they had suffered cyber security breaches or attacks in 2022 – the number rising to 62% among charities with annual incomes of £500,000 or more.

Of those charities that had suffered attacks, 44% said they had to deal with attacks on a monthly basis.

72% of charities say their trustees believe cyber security is a high priority, comparied with 92% of higher income charities. Just 26% of charities in the 2022 survey have board members or trustees accountable for cyber security as part of their job. It's so important that more key stakeholders be aware of cyber security and make cyber security a running agenda item on board meetings.

The most common type of cyber attack on charities was phishing (87% up from 79% in 2021), phishing involves attackers trying to con recipients into giving away personal details or passwords through emails and text messages.

We want to encourage charities to follow the free help and guidance we provide and sign up for our free membership. We have again updated our guidance specifically to help charities boost their cyber resilience and encourage any charities based in Greater Manchester to sign up for our fully-funded Business Resilience Program which includes training, 1-2-1 consultation and 12-month paid membership.

How can charities improve their cyber resilience?

Make your staff aware of the latest cyber security threats, by encouraging your staff to sign up for our free membership which shares the latest guidance, news and security updates that have been tailored for businesses and charities who are based in the North West.

Just 57% of charities have a password policy, by becoming a member of the Cyber Resilience Centre we can provide you with cyber security policies & procedure templates. These policies will help you understand the processes you have in place to protect your company, staff, your data and your assets.

Your staff must be educated regularly in the changing cybersecurity landscape, the CSBS survey highlighted that just 19% of charities said they had trained staff on cyber security. Unprepared staff are at a heightened risk of being caught unaware when working from home, returning to the office or when starting a new job.

Ready to prepare your staff with security awareness training? Contact us today to learn more.