Cybersecurity for NGOs: Session 1: Recognising and Avoiding Common Threats

NGOs and associations are increasingly targeted by cyberattacks. They hold personal data about donors, members and beneficiaries, but often have little IT support. This session shows how the most common attacks work and which everyday habits reduce the risk the most.

It is one of three independent one-hour sessions in the “Cybersecurity for NGOs” series, delivered by Master in Cybersecurity and Cyber Defence (MCYSD) students of the University of Luxembourg, under academic supervision, in partnership with the Digital Learning Hub. Each session can be attended on its own.

The session is for staff, volunteers and board members of Luxembourg NGOs and associations. No technical background is needed.

- Recognise phishing emails, fraudulent text messages (smishing), deepfakes and social engineering.

- See how public information, such as LinkedIn profiles, can be used to target an NGO.

- Set up passwords and multi-factor authentication, and help less-technical colleagues adopt them.

- Check the three main weak points in an NGO's daily work and the first step for each.

- What cybersecurity means for a small NGO, with everyday examples from real associations.

- How phishing, smishing (fraudulent text messages), deepfakes and social engineering work, with real examples.

- How public information, such as LinkedIn profiles, can be used to target an NGO.

- Live phishing-recognition exercise on emails and websites.

- Passwords and multi-factor authentication in practice: how to set them up and help less-technical colleagues adopt them.

- Safer use of email, cloud storage, shared drives and messaging apps, and backups to recover from ransomware.

- Quick self-assessment of the three main vulnerabilities (phishing and social engineering, weak passwords without multi-factor authentication, unsafe sharing without backups) and first steps for each.

At the end of the session, learners will be able to:

- recognise the most common cyberattacks aimed at NGOs, such as phishing, smishing and social engineering

- apply basic security habits (multi-factor authentication, password managers, checking links, secure sharing) in their daily work

- identify the three main vulnerabilities in an NGO's daily work: phishing and social engineering, weak passwords without multi-factor authentication, and unsafe sharing without backups