Non-profit sector sees increasing wave of email attacks
Advanced email attacks on non-profit organizations have surged 35 percent year-on-year according to a new report from Abnormal Security.
Credential phishing attacks on non-profit organizations have escalated by 50.4 percent over the past year too. By stealing login credentials, cybercriminals gain access to internal communications, donor databases, and financial records, allowing them to launch further attacks or sell sensitive information on the dark web.
Malware attacks targeting the sector have also increased by 26.2 percent, with email serving as the primary delivery method. Given the sensitive nature of non-profit operations such as storing donor payment information, healthcare data, or advocacy-related communications-malware attacks can have severe consequences.
The report's author Mike Britton, CISO of Abnormal, notes:
With limited resources and high trust, non-profits present an ideal target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit vulnerabilities.
First, the non-profit sector relies heavily on donor contributions and grant funding, which means financial transactions are frequently processed via email. Cybercriminals capitalize on this by launching business email compromise (BEC) and vendor email compromise (VEC) attacks -- impersonating executives, board members, or trusted vendors to manipulate employees into redirecting funds.
Operating with tight budgets and minimal IT resources, nonprofits are often more vulnerable to cyber threats in general than corporations with dedicated security teams and robust security infrastructures. Worse, the reliance on volunteers and part-time staff, many of whom lack formal cybersecurity training, increases the likelihood of falling victim to social engineering schemes.
Compounding the risk, non-profits often maintain partnerships with major enterprises, government agencies, and high-net-worth donors, making them potential entry points for broader supply chain attacks.
You can see the full report on the Abnormal site.
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