Recommendations

To ensure human rights defenders (HRDs) can operate securely, the cybersecurity support ecosystem must move beyond fragmented, short-term solutions. This report provides recommendations for key stakeholders—civil society, donors, the private sector, and the international community—on how to invest in sustainable, long-term infrastructure to better protect frontline defenders.

Civil society groups lead the way in protecting HRDs. However, to move from reactive projects to providing lasting protection, their work must be built on a foundation of sustainable funding.

Develop and Maintain Training for Defenders

Creating shareable training is a core function, directly addressing the need for clear, step-by-step guides written in nontechnical language and recommendations for under-resourced teams. As one NGO respondent stated, “Clear guidance for low-resource settings” is crucial. Sustainable funding is required to maintain these resources over the long term and keep them updated against new threats.

Build and Sustain Trusted Peer Review Networks

Formalizing networks for peer-reviewing tools directly responds to the finding that the most important factors for trusting a security tool are recommendations and endorsements from trusted peers and partners. This essential community infrastructure cannot run on just the goodwill of companies; it requires dedicated staff and resources, which sustainable funding provides.

Improve Staff Confidence in Security Tools

Helping groups understand what they want to protect is crucial to improving staff confidence in identifying security tools. While almost 30 percent of respondents said they are not held back by the belief that their current tools are “good enough,” a significant lack of confidence in staff’s ability to handle threats acts as a barrier. This factor was rated as having a high impact by 11 percent of organizations surveyed and a moderate impact by 36 percent. This suggests that the challenge is not a false sense of security but rather the hurdles of integrating new security practices and understanding of what to protect.

To shift cybersecurity from an under-resourced item to an operational component, donors must see their role as sustaining the support ecosystem.

Require and Fund Digital Safety Plans

Individuals or organizations that fund nonprofit organizations should require and provide dedicated funding to support digital safety plans. The survey shows that a majority of organizations are either confirmed compromised or dangerously uncertain of their security status. The primary obstacle to addressing this is not a lack of will, but a lack of time due to competing priorities, which 41 percent of organizations cited as a high-impact barrier. By making a safety plan a funded requirement, donors can provide the necessary resources to transform security from an overlooked priority into a core, strategic function.

Establish an Audit Mechanism

Donors should establish an audit mechanism to help grantees validate their security posture. The survey reveals a critical gap between self-assessed capacity and the reality of the group: While 46 percent of organizations rated their capacity as “high,” 16 percent were unsure if they had suffered a successful cyberattack. To ensure these audits are consistent and effective, they should be measured against an agreed-upon cybersecurity framework, such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. External audits provide an objective assessment to identify hidden vulnerabilities, ensuring grant funds support organizations that are truly resilient against threats.

Private sector entities can contribute to the sustainability of the ecosystem by reducing the technical burden on frontline organizations and the civil society groups that support them.

Adopt Secure-by-Design Principles

By applying a security-first model, technology companies can create tools that are easier and safer to use.¹ This approach aligns with the needs of HRDs, as 68 percent of organizations surveyed rated essential security features such as multi-factor authentication a top priority when evaluating a new tool. In a sector in which every single organization relies on trust when selecting partners, a public commitment to taking ownership of security outcomes is the most effective way to build the credibility required to serve this community.

Co-Design and Test Tools with Civil Society Partners

The survey reveals that 55 percent of HRDs feel only “somewhat confident” in their ability to assess new tools. This lack of confidence creates a major barrier to adoption. Collaboration between the manufacturers of cybersecurity tools and their users in the HRD community could be an effective way of addressing this issue. By co-designing with civil society partners that support HRDs in making decisions about new tools, a company can ensure its products meet HRDs’ unique security needs and build the trust required for market acceptance. This proposed collaboration directly addresses the top priority of 77 percent of respondents: trustworthiness.

Increase Donation of Tools and Services to Civil Society Partners

Tech companies and donors should provide more low-cost or no-cost tools for cybersecurity to HRDs and their civil society partners. These donations need to go beyond licenses and other goods to include services to assist with implementation, change management, and other aspects of installing new tools.

The establishment of a trusted, coordinated global body to support the cybersecurity needs of HRDs is necessary to replace the fragmented and unpredictable support provided in the current ecosystem. (The feedback from stakeholders highlights that while organizations like Access Now are well-positioned to take on a coordinating role due to their resources and standing, they may face inherent trust issues from smaller groups.)

Create a Multi-Sector Fund for Civil Society Support

The most critical step is to establish a sustainable, pooled funding mechanism dedicated to supporting the civil society organizations that provide essential cybersecurity aid. This will ensure the vital ecosystems that build community trust remain operational and can offer their services to frontline defenders reliably and affordably.

Launch a Coordinated and Funded Incident Response System

There is a clear demand for a trusted international system for responding to cyberattacks, with 77 percent of organizations surveyed saying they are willing to use one. For such a system to be trusted, it must guarantee confidentiality—the top concern, cited by 77 percent of respondents—and provide rapid, expert technical response.

Develop a “Tool Safety Index” and Threat-Sharing Platform

A threat-sharing platform would directly address the community’s need for updates on emerging threats, which 93 percent of organizations consider highly critical. There is a clear appetite for such a system, as 84 percent of organizations indicated they would be willing to report incidents to a designated, trusted body.