With current events unfolding daily around the world, the reality that everyone can be affected by impending cyberattacks has set in. Now, individuals around the world are wondering how to stay secure during tumultuous times like this (and in the future). So, what exactly are the best ways to secure oneself online and mitigate the potential of becoming a victim of a cyber attack – especially for high-risk individuals like the press working abroad?
As we navigate through uncertainty, Yubico continues to focus on making the internet more secure for everyone. Some of the most at-risk in our current climate include the journalists, humanitarian organizations, and government agencies that have been working tirelessly to share critical information in order to keep their communities safe. While physical safety has always been a top priority, it’s become increasingly clear that online security should be as well.
Since our inception, we’ve been working with individuals, enterprises, and those most at-risk, to donate YubiKeys to help ensure their digital safety. In 2020, we formalized our donation program Secure it Forward, to further reach organizations and individuals that are defending freedom of press, human rights, and election security, as well as organizations focused on furthering diversity in technology and information security.
Our CEO Stina Ehnrensvard co-founded Yubico based on a core mission:
According to the 2021 Verizon Data Breach Report, 89% of web application breaches are due to mis-managed credentials, including weak passwords.Yubico’s mission has always been to change this, by making account access to online services secure and easy for everyone. We are honored to help secure the communities that are taking the risk to protect democracy, free speech, and human rights values at large. Through our Secure it Forward program, we believe that now, more than ever, online security is imperative for humankind.
To shed more light on the importance of digital security, we sat down with international journalists and human rights activists to hear their perspectives on the intersection that digital security has on physical safety and why security is crucial when it comes to journalists and human rights activists.
While our intention with this blog was to highlight the need for those most at-risk, we recognize the importance of all individuals and enterprises to protect themselves as well. We encourage you to turn on multi-factor authentication wherever possible, and consider using a security key like the YubiKey as a phishing-resistant, physical layer of protection to your accounts.
If you are an organization working in free speech, human rights, election security, or diversity in cybersecurity and technology, and would like to leverage the YubiKey for your team or the individuals you assist, then please get in touch with us through our Secure it Forward Program. Additionally, if you’re a journalist and in need of a YubiKey, you can get in touch by requesting a key here.