Beyond antivirus: five cyber security products charities should consider

Single Sign On (SSO) systems and password managers

With many charity staff working from home these days and accessing applications remotely or in the cloud, controlling access to these applications is a huge security problem. That’s because a hacker who manages to get hold of the password for an account can then access it and steal data.

One way to mitigate this risk is to use a single sign on system such as Okta. This allows users to sign in to many different services (such as Office 365, Zoom, or Trello) using a single password, while Okta works behind the scenes to ensure that these accounts are kept secure. The system can also add two factor authentication (2FA) to make the login process even more secure. Okta is available free for charities with up to 25 users, charities can be validated for this offer through the Charity Digital Exchange.

Password managers provide a lighter weight alternative to a system like Okta. A good password manager works in three ways: it stores passwords securely so they don’t need to be written down, it makes it easy to use long strong passwords and to change them whenever necessary, and it also provides a good level of protection against some types of phishing attacks.

Good password managers include:

LastPass

Included in Avast Antivirus

Keeper Password Manager

1Password

Dashlane

Keepass

VPN software

If you use a public WiFi network, for example in a coffee shop or on a train, then there is a chance that the internet connection could have been compromised by hackers. They might then be able to snoop on your data or redirect you to bogus phishing sites when you type in the address of a genuine site.

Online banking and some other websites encrypt data going to and from them automatically, but VPN software can boost your cyber security by encrypting all the data going to and from your computer. This ensures that a hacker snooping on the public WiFi network will not be able to steal any vital information from you, and that your data is encrypted even if you have been directed to a fake phishing site.

Good VPN software includes:

Included in Avast Antivirus

NordVPN

CyberGhost VPN

ProtonVPN

TunnelBearVPN

Mullvad VPN

Breach detection

If you don’t know that hackers have successfully compromised your computer systems then you can’t investigate how it happened, minimise the harm done, and take steps to prevent it happening again. To find out if any of your accounts are known to have been hacked, try one of these two services:

Breach Alarm

Have I Been Pwned

You can also use a service such as Skurio which monitors the Dark Web and other online locations that hackers frequent. It then provides alerts if your usernames and passwords, or data which includes your IP addresses, brand names or other relevant information, is offered for sale by hackers. Skurio offers free and low cost versions of its services to charities via Charity Digital.