UN Highlights CyberSAR as an Important Tool for Digital Risk Management

A recent UN report identifies The SecDev Foundation’s CyberSAR (Cyber Safety Assessment and Response) methodology as an effective tool that helps civil society organizations improve their digital security.

“We are delighted that CyberSAR has received this important recognition by UN experts,” says Deirdre Collings, The SecDev Foundation’s Executive Director. “CyberSAR was a direct response to our work in Syria, where we saw the devastating impacts of cyberbreaches for smaller civil society organizations. We realized that these organizations, many of which transmitted highly sensitive data online, had no understanding of their digital risks or of basic digital safety practice”.

“To address this challenge, we realized that our approach had to be deeply practical and focus on critical digital safety basics. One of CyberSAR’s most successful components is its hands-on training and remediation with staff members, who are often the weakest link in any organization’s security,” she added.

The report, Digital Technologies and Mediation in Armed Conflict, is part of a Digital Toolkit on the role of digital technologies in armed conflict mediation. The Toolkit was developed at the request of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and produced by the UN Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs on the basis of extended consultations that identified key digital challenges and helpful digital tools. It is part of a wider ICT-related risk management toolkit for conflict mediators.