Attending the Elytra Security Masterclass on cybersecurity proved to be a sobering wake-up call.

As someone who works closely with India’s nonprofit sector, I found myself confronting an uncomfortable truth: the organisations that serve millions of our most vulnerable citizens are operating in a digital minefield, often without proper protection.

The Perfect Storm

Elytra Security's CEO, Mr Venkat Mangudi, began the presentation with a stark table of recent breaches that read like a who’s who of Indian digital infrastructure. From KiranaPro’s complete server wipe to the AIIMS ransomware attack that paralysed medical services for days, the message was clear: no organisation is immune.

Yet as I sat there, I couldn’t help but think about the 3.3 million+ nonprofits across India who lack even the basic resources these corporations had at their disposal.

The reality is that India’s nonprofit sector represents a unique vulnerability in our cybersecurity landscape. These organisations handle extraordinarily sensitive data—from medical records of HIV patients to location details of domestic violence survivors, from financial information of donors to personal details of children in care. They serve populations who often cannot afford to have their privacy compromised, yet they operate with budgets that barely cover their core missions, let alone comprehensive cybersecurity measures.

When Six Hours Feels Like Six Years
The masterclass emphasised CERT-In’s new six-hour reporting mandate—a timeline that would challenge even the most sophisticated corporate IT departments. For nonprofits, this requirement feels almost surreal. Many don’t have dedicated IT staff, let alone incident response teams. The presentation’s breakdown of the “6 Hour Clock” showed a well-orchestrated response involving SOCs, legal teams, and Data Protection Officers.

I wondered how a small NGO working with trafficking survivors would manage this timeline when they barely have resources for their core programmes.

This isn’t merely about compliance; it’s about survival. When a nonprofit suffers a data breach, they don’t just lose data—they lose trust. Unlike corporations that might weather reputational damage, nonprofits depend entirely on the goodwill of donors and the confidence of vulnerable communities. A single breach can destroy years of carefully built relationships.

The Collision of Privacy and Protection Laws
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) has arrived at a crucial moment for India’s nonprofit sector. Whilst corporations can hire compliance teams and implement expensive security solutions, nonprofits must navigate these requirements with minimal resources and expertise.

The irony is palpable: organisations dedicated to protecting vulnerable populations now face the challenge of protecting digital privacy whilst maintaining their ability to serve those most in need.
The DPDPA’s emphasis on consent, data minimisation, and individual rights creates particular challenges for humanitarian work.

How does an NGO working with refugee populations obtain meaningful consent when people are fleeing for their lives? How does an organisation serving illiterate communities explain complex privacy rights? These questions don’t have simple answers, yet the legal obligations remain the same.

The Human Cost of Digital Negligence
What struck me most during the masterclass was a simple truth: in the nonprofit world, cybersecurity failures don’t just mean financial losses—they can cost lives. When an organisation working with political refugees suffers a breach, the exposed data might end up in the hands of the very governments these individuals fled. When a mental health charity is compromised, stigmatised individuals might lose access to crucial support services.

The presentation highlighted how security and privacy must work in tandem. For nonprofits, this integration is essential not just for compliance, but for maintaining the moral foundation of their work. These organisations ask vulnerable people to trust them with their most sensitive information. That trust comes with an obligation that extends far beyond legal compliance.

Elytra gave us a plan...
The 30/60/90-day implementation plan presented at the masterclass offers a practical framework, but it needs adaptation for the nonprofit context. During the discovery phase, nonprofits must honestly assess not just what data they hold, but why they hold it and whether they truly need it. Many collect far more information than necessary, often driven by donor reporting requirements rather than programmatic needs.

The alignment phase must focus on sustainable solutions rather than expensive technology. This might mean accepting limitations on data collection or finding creative partnerships with larger organisations that can provide technical expertise. Some nonprofits might need to fundamentally restructure their programmes to reduce their digital footprint and associated risks.

The readiness testing phase becomes particularly crucial for nonprofits because they rarely get second chances. A corporate entity might recover from a breach through PR campaigns and legal settlements, but a nonprofit’s reputation is its lifeblood.

India's NGOs and Building a Culture of Digital Responsibility
The masterclass’s emphasis on simulation and preparedness resonates deeply within the nonprofit context. These organisations must move beyond viewing cybersecurity as a technical issue to understanding it as a core component of their duty of care. This requires training staff who are passionate about social causes but may lack technical expertise, creating policies that protect privacy whilst enabling mission delivery, and building systems that are both secure and accessible.

Perhaps most importantly, it requires honest conversations with donors and stakeholders about the true costs of operating securely in the digital age. Funders who demand detailed beneficiary data must also fund the security measures needed to protect that information. Boards must understand that cybersecurity isn’t an overhead cost—it’s mission-critical infrastructure.