Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is one of the places where small, ordinary failures cause the most damage. A reused password, a rushed click, or a shared document that wasn’t meant to be public can be all it takes to get real people in real trouble.

For people working on democracy, human rights, or the rule of law, those very human mistakes can have outsized consequences: harassment, exposure, disrupted work, or loss of the trust that your supporters need. The good news is that most real-world harm doesn’t come from sophisticated attacks — it comes from a short list of common, preventable problems.

Boring, careful choices don’t make headlines. But they prevent a lot of disasters.

We created the Cybersecurity Field Guide to help teams reduce risk without needing deep technical expertise, expensive new tools, or a lot of spare time. It focuses on steps that are widely accepted, low-drama, and proven to matter in practice — especially for organizations facing increasing threats in these chaotic and confusing times.

Using the Cybersecurity Field Guide

This is not a checklist you have to complete all at once. It’s a collection of small, practical improvements you can make over time.

• Most real-world harm comes from a small number of common failures.
• You do not need to do everything to make a real difference.
• Pick one or two changes that feel manageable right now.
• Make them stick, then come back later.
• Consistency matters more than perfection.

If a particular section feels overwhelming or unrealistic, skip it. Partial progress is still progress.

This is a living document, and cybersecurity changes very rapidly. If you notice areas for improvment, have questions you'd like answered in the doc, or catch a mistake, please let us know. contribute@demnerds.org

If you believe something serious is already wrong — an account compromise, targeted harassment, or immediate safety concerns — focus on your personal safety first and seek trusted, real-time help.