Digital Support
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The Global Investigative Journalism Network has worked with experts at the Ford Foundation to adapt Ford’s Cybersecurity Assessment Tool (CAT) for use by watchdog journalism groups. The JSAT, translated into a dozen languages, offers an online diagnosis of an organisation’s physical and digital security strength and resiliency, with recommendations on how to improve your security.
You can read more about the tool here.
Journalists frequently receive death threats, threats of sexual violence, and threats directed at their families and are targeted by disinformation campaigns. Research has shown that these attacks disproportionately affect women journalists.
This online guide from Thomson Reuters Foundation's pro bono legal programme TrustLaw has been written to support women journalists as they navigate the challenges of online violence. It includes information on:
How to prepare for online harassment
What to do during and after an attack
A list of resources to support women journalists with responding to online harassment
If you are the victim of a DDOS attack, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) can refer your organisation to Cloudflare, an American web infrastructure and website security company that provides content delivery network and DDoS mitigation services. Cloudflare offers pro-bono protections against DDOS attacks for organisations referred by NED. For assistance, please fill out an application on Cloudflare’s website.
DW Freedom (Twitter), a project of Deutsche Welle highlights complex issues surrounding free speech, free expression and a free press around the world. In connection with the ongoing crisis in Ukraine they recommend a series of articles they have published on circumventing censorship and moving unrecognised on the internet.
DW Innovation also recommends accessing InfoMigrants, “a news and information site for migrants to counter misinformation at every point of their journey: in their country of origin, along the route, or in the places where they hope to start a new life.” The site is a joint-venture of DW, ANSA and France Médias Monde.
"Journalists should protect themselves and their sources by keeping up to date on the latest digital security news and threats such as hacking, phishing, and surveillance. Journalists should think about the information they are responsible for and what could happen if it falls into the wrong hands, and take measures to defend their accounts, devices, communications, and online activity."
See more on CPJ's Digital Safety Kit. You can also read their article about how to prepare for internet shut-downs.
Risks are inherent in using any form of communication tool when speaking truth to power. Satellite communication tools are often rolled out quickly during crises as they provide critical access and are difficult – but not impossible – to block. However, the risks of using these tools must be considered.
Internews has published a guide discussing threats which are widely applicable to 2-way satellite communications devices, such as satellite phones and pagers, Inmarsat BGANs, Starlinks, and VSAT terminals.
International nonprofit journalism organisation Rest of World has spoken to experts in privacy and security to get their advice on the tools and tactics for skirting shutdowns.
From the article, "Experts advise that if you live in a place where shutdowns are a risk — and that risk is spreading — be prepared. Download VPNs and other apps; be sure to have a contingency plan, including a phone number that doesn’t rely on the internet to connect; and have a phone tree of important people to call should something happen."
To resolve digital emergencies, OTF's Rapid Response Fund works with partners who are highly sensitive to and well-aware of the specific needs and challenges of human rights activists, journalists, and the Internet freedom community.
Listed below are trusted service partners that offer technological services:
Tierra Común is a Latin American network made up of a group of professionals and experts in free technologies, computer protection and training that promotes a comprehensive approach to privacy and digital security.
Their main objective is for the people they work with to manage their own protection without intermediaries, without expensive software licenses, and gradually strengthening their own capacities.
Tierra Común provides the following services:
Advice: Consulting on digital security diagnosis and risk analysis and design of protocols and regulations in computing
Information backup
Communications receipt
Trainings: Basic and advanced computer self-defense
Technical support
Web services: Website creation and security audit
Languages supported by Tierra Comun:
English
Spanish
Reach out to Terra Común here: infosec@tierracomun.org.
Greenhost offers web hosting from small, simple websites to complex setups with multiple Virtual Private Servers (VPSes) using 100% Dutch wind energy.
Greenhosts' web hosting services includes:
Clustered web hosting
Cloud platform
Deflect anti-DDoS protection
Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS)
Real-time Monitoring
Please reach out to this dedicated address for rapid response requests: rr@greenhost.net.
Qurium Media Foundation (QMF) is a Swedish digital forensic group that offers Rapid Response support. The pro-bono service is dedicated to independent media, investigative journalists and human rights activists in Internet repressive regimes that have been targets of digital attacks, or are likely to become a target due to its scope of work, and are in need of immediate support.
The support that Qurium assists with is classified in thee categories:
Preventative measures:
Sanitation and audit of at-risk websites – cleaning and upgrading outdated and insecure websites to improve resilience against attacks
Secure Hosting of at-risk websites – 12 months hosting with Virtualroad.org, including DDoS mitigation and forensics investigations of targeted attacks
Mentorship – a 3-6 months remote mentorship program to strengthen and improve existing organizational procedures in digital security. Available in English, Spanish and Arabic.
Customized support during special events – secure hosting and close monitoring of websites of public interest under election periods, military coups, and situations of civil unrest.
During attack:
Mitigation of ongoing attacks against websites, including:
DDoS attacks
Scanning and probing
Brute-force attacks
Unauthorized access
Post attack:
Secure Hosting – 12 months hosting with Virtualroad.org, including DDoS mitigation and forensics investigations of targeted attacks.
Sanitation of compromised website – identification and removal of malware/backdoors as well as insecure code to prevent future attacks.
Circumvention of Internet blocking – deployment of block-resilient mirror of blocked WordPress website (Bifrost)
Digital forensics – forensics investigation with focus on modus-operandi and attribution of targeted attacks, including:
Website attacks (DDoS, unauthorized access, scanning, probing)
Targeted phishing
Internet blocking of websites and web applications – forensics investigation of Internet blocking with focus on how the blocking is taking place, by whom and by which means.
Compromised mobile phones – digital forensics investigation of compromised mobile phones
Apply for Rapid Response support here.
Qurium may offer services that are not listed above, depending on its scope and the human resources available. If your needs don’t fit within the list of services, feel free to send an encrypted email to rr@virtualroad.or.
Developed in collaboration by Greenhost and Free Press Unlimited, Totem is an online learning platform that offers educational courses about digital security and privacy, and related tools and tactics for journalists, activists and human rights defenders in a safe, online classroom environment.
The Totem platform is built using the open-source Open edX MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) software. The platform has been carefully designed to be safe and privacy-preserving by collecting minimal data about its users and also using secure, modern encryption to prevent any eavesdropping.
The following are featured courses from Totem:
Risk analysis
Human rights documentation
Device security
How to protect your identity online
How to be a journalist and manage your online privacy
Tools for journalists to help identify their online abusers and the tactics that they use
Why field research matters
Going undercover on Instagram
How to bypass internet censorship
Good password management
Secure messaging apps
Phishing attacks
How the internet works
View all 63 courses here.
The following solutions have also been employed by journalism and media organisations globally.
Anti-virus software - ESET: This is anti-virus software that works to protect your device against cyber intrusions such as malware attacks and data breaches. One ESET license can be installed on five different devices. Valid for three years.
Virtual Private Network (VPN) - TunnelBear: TunnelBear encrypts your internet connection and protects your privacy, which prevents hackers or other nefarious actors from viewing or accessing your browsing activity, hiding your real IP address, and helps you to bypass internet censorship.
