Industry voice: why when it comes to cyber charities shouldn’t take the risk

Cyber risk is a major and growing concern for any organisation. For charities, the consequences can be especially devastating. Richard Lane takes a closer look at the problem – and how to keep charities covered.

In 2012, a hacker breached the British Pregnancy Advisory Service’s (BPAS) website and threatened to publish the name, address, date of birth and telephone number of 10,000 people who had contacted the charity about pregnancy issues, including abortion.

In its defence, the charity said it didn’t realise its website was storing this information and that it wasn’t secure. The result: a £200,000 fine and a severe blow to the charity’s reputation, not to mention the potential distress to its users