Flores, Indonesia, is a tiny island known for its natural wonders like volcanoes, lakes, and agricultural fields. With a population of around two million people, the region is fostering ecotourism, keeping both economic growth and cultural preservation top of mind to ensure its growth benefits the entire community.
However in Flores, and all across Indonesia and the world, cyber attacks are on the rise. Even if Flores is not a technology industry powerhouse, to achieve its vision of becoming a top tourist destination, it must take cybersecurity seriously to protect its citizens, its businesses, and its future visitors.
Flores is just one example that demonstrates the challenge of protecting an entire population from the ever-increasing risk of online attacks.
The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) just surpassed two million visits to the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkits – about the population of Flores, Indonesia – and we will continue expanding our reach to protect more islands, regions, businesses, and individuals for years to come.
Implementing basic cyber hygiene leads to a significant improvement in the ability of small businesses to fend off ransomware. According to an analysis by Tidal Cyber and GCA, cyber hygiene measures covered in the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business address up to 86% of the [ransomware] techniques that enable initial network access or that compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data. Our toolkits are available for small businesses, journalists, election officials, individuals, and mission-based organizations.
“Two million views to our GCA Cybersecurity Toolkits is quite an accomplishment. In today’s digital world, everyone – from freelance journalists to nomad entrepreneurs to everyday Internet users – should feel secure online. We work to remove the burden of cybersecurity and to keep sharing our toolkits until everyone who needs us can use our resources to protect themselves and their loved ones,” said Philip Reitinger, GCA’s President and CEO.
According to the World Bank, small businesses make up 90% of businesses worldwide and represent more than 50% of employment; they are crucial to the global economy, and they are at high risk of cyber attack. A report from Barracuda Networks shows that small businesses are three times more likely to be targeted by cybercriminals than larger companies, but many do not have the time, resources, or knowledge to better protect themselves. Most do not even recognize themselves as targets.
The GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business, sponsored by Mastercard, was launched in 2019 and is now accessible in six languages: English, Bahasa Indonesia, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. It’s been accessed from virtually every corner of the planet – more than 200 countries and territories.
Michael Lashlee, Mastercard Chief Security Officer and Global Cyber Alliance Board Member, added, “A cyber attack can destroy a business. The GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business is just one of the ways Mastercard is working to make cybersecurity more accessible and easier to understand – giving small businesses space to focus on running and growing their business.”
In 2019, we launched the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Elections to support election offices and community organizations to improve their resilience against threats posed by the use of information and communication technology in support of elections.
In 2020, we added the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Journalists to empower independent journalists, watchdog groups, and small newsrooms to protect their data, sources, and reputations. Next came the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Individuals to educate and strengthen understanding of the most common risks and provide actionable steps to mitigate falling victim to them.
The development of the elections, journalists, and individuals’ toolkits was sponsored by Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and they are part of our work under the Cyber Civil Defense initiative.
“Cyber Civil Defense means that everyone works to protect themselves and their communities from cyber threats. It’s a key part of patriotism today – to protect your country, you should protect yourself and those around you. GCA’s toolkits are making people more secure online, and I’m proud to be a part of it,” said craigslist founder and philanthropist Craig Newmark.
The final toolkit in the lineup is the GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Mission-based Organizations to help nonprofits and other mission-based organizations improve their security posture. This toolkit’s development was sponsored by Public Interest Registry (PIR). Worldwide, more than 11 million NGOs provide essential services to more than 1 billion people. We must continue to protect those who protect the most vulnerable.
Brian Cimbolic, Chief Legal and Policy Officer at PIR, emphasized “The GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Mission-based Organizations is an essential, free resource, especially for small nonprofits with limited resources. By providing fundamental tools for threat protection, data privacy, and phishing prevention, this toolkit empowers mission-driven organizations to safeguard their systems and focus on their core mission without the barrier of high cybersecurity costs.”
Proven results and constant updates
Whether you are in Flores or anywhere else, we invite you to visit our site and learn from our toolkits. We offer videos, tutorials, recommendations (inventories, strong passwords, two-factor authentication, etc.) and checklists carefully selected and organized to make it easy to find and implement cybersecurity solutions.
- Watch this video to know more about the impact of our work
