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Cyber Security Important for Charities?
In 2025, a third (30%) of UK charities identified a cyber attack in the last 12 months, according to The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025.
Such attacks can be devastating for charities and severely impact their ability to deliver vital services to those who depend on them.
Why are Charities Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks?
Charities often hold highly sensitive personal data, including donor information, beneficiary records, volunteer details, financial ledgers and sometimes even information about vulnerable individuals. This makes them attractive targets for attackers who exploit weaker defences and trust-based relationships.
According to the 2023 Charity Sector Threat Report, undertaken by the National Cyber Security Centre, charities:
- Typically have limited IT and Cyber Security budgets
- Rely on volunteers and staff using their own devices (BYOD), making it harder to maintain strict security measures
- Have a weak security culture and often don’t have incident response plans in place
- Often don’t see themselves as prime targets for cyber criminals or the need to invest in cyber security services
These factors can significantly increase exposure to cyber threats and make it harder for charities to respond effectively if an attack occurs.
Understanding these risks is the first step. Working with specialist cyber security providers can help charities strengthen their defences, train staff and reduce the likelihood of successful attacks.
Impacts of Cyber Attacks on Charities
Cyber attacks can have serious and long-lasting consequences for charitable organisations:
- Financial losses – cyber attacks can drain charities’ funds, either directly through fraud or indirectly through recovery costs. The average cost of the most disruptive breach to each charity in the last 12 months was estimated at £3,240.
- Disruption to services – some cyber attacks, such as ransomware, can lock charities out of their systems, preventing them from accessing the tools they need to deliver vital services.
- Damage to trust and reputation – charities depend on public trust, and a data breach which exposes donor details or beneficiary information can erode confidence, making it harder to secure future funding and partnerships.
- Legal and compliance risks – many charities process personal data, meaning they must comply with data protection laws like GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. A breach could result in fines or regulatory action, further stretching their limited budgets.
Investing in proactive cyber security measures is far more cost-effective than dealing with the financial and operational consequences of a breach. Get in touch with the Obsidian Networks team today to discuss how we can help protect your charity.
Common Cyber Threats Charities Face
Charities are commonly targeted by several types of cyber threats:
- Phishing – the most widespread threat faced by charities is phishing, which is experienced by 86% of charities. Phishing involves deceptive emails designed to trick staff or volunteers into revealing login credentials or making fraudulent payments.
- Business Email Compromise – around 35% of charities have experienced business email compromise attacks, where criminals impersonate trusted contacts to redirect payments or access sensitive information.
- Malware/ransomware – malware and ransomware attacks affect roughly 14% of charities, potentially locking organisations out of their systems or threatening data exposure.
Charities need more than basic security tools – they need ongoing security monitoring, cyber essential certification and expert support to stay protected against evolving cyber threats. Specialist cyber security services can help your organisation reduce risk while allowing your team to focus on making a difference.
How Our Managed Cyber Security Services Can Help Charities and Not-For-Profit Organisations
While the proportion of charities and businesses that experienced a negative outcome after a breach is the same (16% in 2025), charities are less likely than businesses to implement technical cyber security controls (DCMS Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025).
Now it is more important than ever for charities to focus on cyber security training for their staff and volunteers and invest in upgrading their cyber security protocols.
Managed Cyber Security Services
Cyber Security Monitoring
We offer proactive 24/7 security monitoring to ensure that any sensitive information is safe from data breaches. Our experienced team monitors for all types of threats, such as malware, phishing, insider threats, code injection attacks, and DNS tunnelling, to ensure your charity is fully protected.
Learn more about how we approach cyber security monitoring.
Internal & External Penetration Testing
Penetration testing allows us to assess any vulnerabilities in your networks which could be exploited by hackers. Investing in both internal and external penetration testing allows us to simulate attacks from outside your organisation (from hacktivists, nation states or cyber criminals) and inside your organisation (from those with authorised access which can be malicious or accidental).
Learn more about our penetration testing.
Cyber Essentials for Charities
Completing the NCSC’s Cyber Essentials Scheme, provided through the IASME Consortium, is the best way to demonstrate your charity’s commitment to cyber security and reassure trustees. This government-backed scheme helps protect your charitable organisation against the most common cyber attacks and threats. The Charity Sector Threat Report recommends that all charities complete a Cyber Essentials certification and it is mandatory for funding/grant applications and government contracts.
At Obsidian Networks, our Cyber Essentials assessors are IASME-certified. We have years of experience in certifying charities, not-for-profit organisations and businesses.
IT Support for Charities
To complement our tailored cyber security services, we also offer dedicated IT support solutions for charities and not-for-profit organisations. We can provide:
Why Choose Us?
At Obsidian Networks, we’ve been providing reliable cyber security services since 2004. We have worked with a range of sectors and industries, from charities to legal firms. You can rely on our friendly and professional team to protect your organisation and ensure your security protocols are as effective as they can be.
Get in touch with a member of our helpful team today to learn more about improving your charity’s cyber security measures. Alternatively, fill out the form below and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
Let's Get Started!
Strategy Meeting
At this strategy meeting, we will gain an understanding of your IT systems and show you how these could lead you to a Ransomware breach which may result in significant downtime and data loss.
IT System Proposal
We will send you an IT Support and Cybersecurity proposal detailing how we can protect you and your business.
Let’s get started!
Once you are happy to sign up with us, one of our dedicated account managers will walk you through our digital on-boarding process.
Strategy Meeting
At this strategy meeting, we will gain an understanding of your IT systems and show you how these could lead you to a Ransomware breach which may result in significant downtime and data loss.
IT System Proposal
We will send you an IT Support and Cybersecurity proposal detailing how we can protect you and your business.
Let’s get started!
Once you are happy to sign up with us, one of our dedicated account managers will walk you through our digital on-boarding process.