Cloudflare’s latest Project Galileo report reveals a sharp rise in cyberattacks targeting civil society organizations, highlighting a growing threat landscape that MSSPs can’t afford to ignore, SiliconANGLE reports. Between May 2023 and March 2024, more than 108 billion threats were blocked against media outlets, nonprofits, and human rights groups, a 241% year-over-year increase. These attacks increasingly rely on application-layer DDoS tactics that overwhelm resources without relying on traditional exploits.
Independent media organizations were the most targeted, followed by human rights groups and social service providers. This surge in politically and socially motivated attacks signals an expanded risk profile that MSSPs should monitor closely, especially those supporting non-profit clients or working in geopolitically tense regions. Attacks timed to coincide with high-visibility events, such as fundraisers or emergencies, are becoming more calculated and disruptive.
The findings highlight the need for MSSPs to adapt their offerings to protect vulnerable but often under-resourced clients. Environmental and disaster relief groups, for instance, faced over a billion malicious requests, while healthcare and education nonprofits were hit with 1.5 billion attacks. These sectors may not have large IT budgets, but their need for operational uptime during crises makes them prime candidates for managed threat protection.
For MSSPs, this report reinforces the importance of flexible, scalable security models that include real-time DDoS mitigation, layered defense strategies, and proactive threat hunting. As digital attacks increasingly align with physical world events and disinformation campaigns, MSSPs have a growing role to play in defending the digital front lines for civil society.
