Around two thirds of charities have seen an increase in cybercrime threats while staff have been working from home amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a survey of more than 2,000 organisations across a raft of sectors, 62% of charities have seen an increase in cybercrime threats during lockdown.

The charity sector is the fourth most at risk sector, with only computing and IT, medical and health, and accountancy, banking and finance, reporting bigger increases amid their ramping up of home working.

Specorps Software, which compiled the report, said that according to previous government research, more than a third of charities don’t know which cyber attacks they’re most vulnerable to. This estimates that one in six charities will suffer cybercrime in the next two years.

“Therefore, unsurprisingly, the charity and voluntary work sector is among the top four who have seen the most cyber-attack threats during lockdown,” said Specorps.

The rise in cybercrime among charity home workers amid Covid-19 explains why “only a quarter” would consider making a switch to permanent home working, added the software firm.

Its survey reveals that, out of 11 sectors, only travel and hospitality is less enthusiastic about permanent home working.

Ransomware threats

The biggest cyber security concern among all sectors surveyed is ransomware attacks, cited by 96% of respondents. This is where hackers steal data and demand a ransom for its return.

Last month it emerged that a number of charities, including the National Trust, Crisis and Young Minds, had been impacted by a ransomware attack to affect cloud computing provider Blackbaud. The US provider discovered the incident in May and paid the attackers a ransom.

Other cyber-security concerns include crypto jacking, where criminals gain unauthorised use of devices to mine for crypto-currency, and phishing, where criminals send false emails out to gain information, passwords and access to bank accounts.

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