{"id":18555857,"url":"https://github.com/ianonymous3000/remote-nonprofit-netsec-guide","last_synced_at":"2026-01-25T01:01:44.451Z","repository":{"id":235615348,"uuid":"791016989","full_name":"iAnonymous3000/remote-nonprofit-netsec-guide","owner":"iAnonymous3000","description":null,"archived":false,"fork":false,"pushed_at":"2024-12-14T02:28:39.000Z","size":432,"stargazers_count":2,"open_issues_count":0,"forks_count":0,"subscribers_count":1,"default_branch":"main","last_synced_at":"2025-02-17T11:31:53.721Z","etag":null,"topics":["networksecurity","nonprofit","nonprofit-organizations","opensource","opensourceforgood","remote"],"latest_commit_sha":null,"homepage":"","language":null,"has_issues":true,"has_wiki":null,"has_pages":null,"mirror_url":null,"source_name":null,"license":"cc-by-sa-4.0","status":null,"scm":"git","pull_requests_enabled":true,"icon_url":"https://github.com/iAnonymous3000.png","metadata":{"files":{"readme":"README.md","changelog":null,"contributing":null,"funding":".github/FUNDING.yml","license":"LICENSE","code_of_conduct":null,"threat_model":null,"audit":null,"citation":null,"codeowners":null,"security":null,"support":null,"governance":null,"roadmap":null,"authors":null,"dei":null,"publiccode":null,"codemeta":null},"funding":{"github":"iAnonymous3000","liberapay":"Pr0f3ss0r1nc0gn1t0"}},"created_at":"2024-04-24T00:11:46.000Z","updated_at":"2024-12-14T02:28:43.000Z","dependencies_parsed_at":"2024-04-24T01:32:08.604Z","dependency_job_id":"b9378cf9-9dbb-465f-bcce-3004de35fef0","html_url":"https://github.com/iAnonymous3000/remote-nonprofit-netsec-guide","commit_stats":null,"previous_names":["ianonymous3000/remote-nonprofit-netsec-guide"],"tags_count":0,"template":false,"template_full_name":null,"purl":"pkg:github/iAnonymous3000/remote-nonprofit-netsec-guide","repository_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/iAnonymous3000%2Fremote-nonprofit-netsec-guide","tags_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/iAnonymous3000%2Fremote-nonprofit-netsec-guide/tags","releases_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/iAnonymous3000%2Fremote-nonprofit-netsec-guide/releases","manifests_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/iAnonymous3000%2Fremote-nonprofit-netsec-guide/manifests","owner_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/owners/iAnonymous3000","download_url":"https://codeload.github.com/iAnonymous3000/remote-nonprofit-netsec-guide/tar.gz/refs/heads/main","sbom_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories/iAnonymous3000%2Fremote-nonprofit-netsec-guide/sbom","scorecard":null,"host":{"name":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com","kind":"github","repositories_count":286080680,"owners_count":28740391,"icon_url":"https://github.com/github.png","version":null,"created_at":"2022-05-30T11:31:42.601Z","updated_at":"2026-01-24T22:12:27.248Z","status":"ssl_error","status_checked_at":"2026-01-24T22:12:10.529Z","response_time":89,"last_error":"SSL_connect returned=1 errno=0 peeraddr=140.82.121.6:443 state=error: unexpected eof while reading","robots_txt_status":"success","robots_txt_updated_at":"2025-07-24T06:49:26.215Z","robots_txt_url":"https://github.com/robots.txt","online":false,"can_crawl_api":true,"host_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub","repositories_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repositories","repository_names_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/repository_names","owners_url":"https://repos.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/hosts/GitHub/owners"}},"keywords":["networksecurity","nonprofit","nonprofit-organizations","opensource","opensourceforgood","remote"],"created_at":"2024-11-06T21:28:02.283Z","updated_at":"2026-01-25T01:01:44.431Z","avatar_url":"https://github.com/iAnonymous3000.png","language":null,"funding_links":["https://github.com/sponsors/iAnonymous3000","https://liberapay.com/Pr0f3ss0r1nc0gn1t0"],"categories":[],"sub_categories":[],"readme":"# Network Setup and Security Guide for Remote Non-Profits (All Open Source \u0026 Free Tools)\n\nThis comprehensive guide provides a roadmap for fully remote non-profit organizations to set up and secure their networks using only free and open-source tools. It covers fundamental concepts, essential services, best practices, and strategies to protect sensitive data, ensuring a secure and sustainable digital environment that supports your mission.\n\n---\n\n## Table of Contents\n\n- [Introduction](#introduction)  \n- [Guiding Principles](#guiding-principles)  \n- [Foundational Concepts](#foundational-concepts)  \n  - [Zero-Trust Security](#zero-trust-security)  \n  - [Open-Source First](#open-source-first)  \n- [Architecture Overview](#architecture-overview)  \n  - [VPN and Secure Remote Access](#vpn-and-secure-remote-access)  \n  - [Cloud and On-Premise Hosting Considerations](#cloud-and-on-premise-hosting-considerations)  \n  - [Identity and Access Management (IAM)](#identity-and-access-management-iam)  \n  - [Network Segmentation](#network-segmentation)  \n  - [Encrypted Communication](#encrypted-communication)  \n- [Tools Summary](#tools-summary)  \n- [Step-by-Step Setup](#step-by-step-setup)  \n  - [VPN Setup](#vpn-setup)  \n  - [File Sharing and Collaboration](#file-sharing-and-collaboration)  \n  - [Secure Communication and Email](#secure-communication-and-email)  \n  - [Identity and Access Management Setup](#identity-and-access-management-setup)  \n  - [Encrypted Communication Implementation](#encrypted-communication-implementation)  \n  - [Password Management](#password-management)  \n- [Network Segmentation Details](#network-segmentation-details)  \n- [Endpoint Security and Device Management](#endpoint-security-and-device-management)  \n- [Monitoring, Logging, and Analysis](#monitoring-logging-and-analysis)  \n- [Security Monitoring and Incident Response](#security-monitoring-and-incident-response)  \n- [User Education and Awareness](#user-education-and-awareness)  \n- [Continuous Improvement](#continuous-improvement)  \n- [Automated Security Updates and Patch Management](#automated-security-updates-and-patch-management)  \n- [Data Backup and Recovery](#data-backup-and-recovery)  \n- [Cloud Security and Hardening](#cloud-security-and-hardening)  \n- [Third-Party Risk Management](#third-party-risk-management)  \n- [Compliance and Legal Considerations](#compliance-and-legal-considerations)  \n- [Physical Security](#physical-security)  \n- [Testing Your Security Posture](#testing-your-security-posture)  \n- [Security Metrics and Reporting](#security-metrics-and-reporting)  \n- [Additional Recommendations and Advanced Topics](#additional-recommendations-and-advanced-topics)  \n- [Additional Resources](#additional-resources)  \n- [Contributing](#contributing)  \n- [Conclusion](#conclusion)  \n\n---\n\n## Introduction\n\nFully remote non-profits face unique cybersecurity challenges: distributed staff, limited budgets, and the need to safeguard donor information, financial data, and internal communications. This guide empowers you to build a strong security foundation using only open-source, free-to-use tools, ensuring cost-effective, transparent, and community-vetted solutions.\n\n\n## Guiding Principles\n\n- **Risk-Based Focus:** Identify and protect your most sensitive assets first.  \n- **Simplicity \u0026 Accessibility:** Choose widely supported, user-friendly tools.  \n- **Scalability \u0026 Flexibility:** Implement solutions that evolve with your organization.  \n- **Transparency \u0026 Trust:** Use open-source tools for verifiable security and community support.  \n- **Continuous Improvement:** Reassess and refine security measures regularly.\n\n\n## Foundational Concepts\n\n### Zero-Trust Security\n\nAdopt a mindset where no user, device, or network is implicitly trusted. Every request to access sensitive resources should be authenticated, authorized, and encrypted.\n\n### Open-Source First\n\nOpen-source tools provide transparency, community-driven development, and lower costs. By using open-source software, you can:\n\n- Verify security through public code reviews.  \n- Avoid vendor lock-in.  \n- Benefit from large, active communities that provide ongoing support and improvements.\n\n\n## Architecture Overview\n\nA secure remote environment for your non-profit can be built with these core components:\n\n### VPN and Secure Remote Access\n\n- **WireGuard or OpenVPN:** These open-source VPNs create encrypted tunnels for staff to securely access internal resources over public networks.\n\n### Cloud and On-Premise Hosting Considerations\n\nYou can host services on open-source-friendly cloud providers (or on-premise if feasible):\n\n- Consider reputable providers that offer virtual machines (Linux-based) for hosting your chosen open-source tools.\n- Always encrypt data in transit (TLS) and at rest.\n\n### Identity and Access Management (IAM)\n\nCentralize identity control and authentication:\n\n- **Keycloak** or **FreeIPA:** Open-source IAM solutions that support Single Sign-On (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).\n\n### Network Segmentation\n\nDivide your network into zones to limit the impact of a breach:\n\n- Use firewalls and VLANs to separate public-facing services from internal resources and sensitive data stores.\n\n### Encrypted Communication\n\nEnsure all communication channels are encrypted end-to-end where possible:\n\n- **Signal:** Secure messaging, voice, and video.  \n- **OpenPGP:** Standard for email encryption.\n\n\n## Tools Summary\n\n| Tool                                         | Function                                         |\n|----------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|\n| **WireGuard/OpenVPN**                        | VPN for secure remote access                     |\n| **Nextcloud**                                | Secure file sharing \u0026 collaboration              |\n| **Mattermost**                               | Team communication (chat, channels, file sharing)|\n| **Keycloak/FreeIPA**                         | IAM, SSO, MFA                                    |\n| **Signal**                                    | Encrypted messaging \u0026 calling                    |\n| **OpenPGP (GnuPG)**                          | Email/file encryption                            |\n| **Mail-in-a-Box or Modoboa**                 | Self-hosted email server \u0026 security hardening    |\n| **Bitwarden (Self-Hosted)**                  | Password management                              |\n| **Wazuh**                                    | Open-source SIEM and endpoint security           |\n| **OpenVAS (Greenbone Community Edition)**     | Vulnerability scanning                           |\n| **Renovate**                                 | Automated dependency updates                     |\n| **Ansible/Puppet/Chef**                      | Configuration \u0026 patch management                 |\n| **BorgBackup or Restic**                     | Encrypted backups                                |\n| **MeshCentral**                              | Open source remote device management             |\n\n\n## Step-by-Step Setup\n\n### VPN Setup\n\n1. **Choose a VPN:**  \n   - **WireGuard:** Modern, lightweight, high-performance.  \n   - **OpenVPN:** Mature, flexible, widely supported.\n\n2. **Deploy the VPN Server:**  \n   - Run on a Linux-based VM.  \n   - Harden by disabling unnecessary services and applying updates regularly.\n\n3. **Client Profiles:**  \n   - Generate unique keys for each user.  \n   - Distribute configs securely (e.g., via encrypted email or a secure portal in Nextcloud).\n\n4. **Mandatory Use:**  \n   - Require VPN use for all internal systems, ensuring encrypted access for staff.\n\n### File Sharing and Collaboration\n\n1. **Nextcloud Setup:**  \n   - Install Nextcloud on a secure server or VM.  \n   - Enable end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication.  \n   - Store sensitive documents here rather than on staff laptops.\n\n2. **Mattermost for Communication:**  \n   - Host Mattermost on a secure VM behind your VPN.  \n   - Integrate with Keycloak for SSO.  \n   - Use private channels for sensitive discussions.\n\n### Secure Communication and Email\n\n1. **Encrypted Email Server:**  \n   - Deploy **Mail-in-a-Box** or **Modoboa** for a self-hosted, open-source email solution.  \n   - Configure DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to prevent spoofing.\n\n2. **Email Encryption (OpenPGP):**  \n   - Train staff to use GnuPG for encrypting sensitive emails.  \n   - Integrate with Thunderbird (Enigmail or native OpenPGP support) for user-friendliness.\n\n3. **Messaging via Signal:**  \n   - Encourage Signal for sensitive one-to-one and group communications.  \n   - Avoid SMS or unencrypted chat tools.\n\n### Identity and Access Management Setup\n\n1. **Keycloak or FreeIPA:**  \n   - Centralize user accounts and roles.  \n   - Provide SSO, reducing password fatigue.  \n   - Enforce MFA with TOTP-based authenticators (e.g., FreeOTP or andOTP).\n\n2. **Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):**  \n   - Define roles (e.g., Admin, Finance, Volunteer) and assign only necessary permissions.  \n   - Regularly audit user roles and offboard departed staff promptly.\n\n### Encrypted Communication Implementation\n\n1. **Force TLS Everywhere:**  \n   - Use Let’s Encrypt for free TLS certificates on all web services (Nextcloud, Mattermost, Keycloak).\n\n2. **SSH / SFTP:**  \n   - Use SSH for remote administration. Disable Telnet and FTP.  \n   - Require key-based authentication over passwords for admin access.\n\n### Password Management\n\n1. **Bitwarden (Self-Hosted):**  \n   - Deploy a self-hosted Bitwarden server for password storage.  \n   - Enforce strong, unique passwords and encourage password sharing through secure vaults.  \n   - Enable 2FA for password vault access.\n\n\n## Network Segmentation Details\n\n1. **Define Zones:**  \n   - **Public Zone:** Minimal internet-facing services (e.g., email server interfaces).  \n   - **Internal Zone:** Systems accessible only via VPN (Nextcloud, Mattermost).  \n   - **Restricted Zone:** Sensitive services (IAM, financial data) locked down to specific roles.\n\n2. **Use Firewalls and VLANs:**  \n   - Apply the principle of least privilege: only allow necessary traffic between zones.  \n   - Keep the restricted zone isolated and accessible only after strict authentication.\n\n3. **Regular Reviews:**  \n   - Periodically review firewall rules and VLAN assignments as your organization evolves.\n\n\n## Endpoint Security and Device Management\n\n1. **Device Baselines:**  \n   - Enforce full-disk encryption (e.g., LUKS for Linux) on staff laptops.  \n   - Require OS-level security patches, antivirus (e.g., ClamAV), and firewall enabled by default.\n\n2. **Open Source Endpoint Management:**  \n   - Use **MeshCentral** for remote device management and monitoring.  \n   - Ensure devices meet security standards before granting VPN access.\n\n3. **Personal vs. Work Devices:**  \n   - Strongly encourage using dedicated work devices for staff handling sensitive data.  \n   - If personal devices must be used, ensure strict security policies apply.\n\n\n## Monitoring, Logging, and Analysis\n\n1. **SIEM with Wazuh:**  \n   - Deploy Wazuh to collect logs from servers, VPN, IAM, and endpoints.  \n   - Configure rules for detecting suspicious behavior.\n\n2. **Dashboards \u0026 Alerts:**  \n   - Set up dashboards for critical events (failed logins, unusual network activity).  \n   - Configure email or Mattermost alerts for critical security events.\n\n\n## Security Monitoring and Incident Response\n\n1. **Incident Response Plan (IRP):**  \n   - Follow frameworks like [NIST SP 800-61r2].  \n   - Define communication channels, escalation paths, and clear roles for handling incidents.\n\n2. **Vulnerability Scanning with OpenVAS:**  \n   - Run regular scans to detect missing patches and misconfigurations.  \n   - Remediate findings promptly and record improvements over time.\n\n3. **Regular Drills:**  \n   - Conduct tabletop exercises to ensure your team is prepared for real incidents.\n\n\n## User Education and Awareness\n\n1. **Training:**  \n   - Offer basic cybersecurity training for all staff (phishing, password hygiene, identifying suspicious behavior).  \n   - Provide ongoing education with simple guides and periodic security newsletters.\n\n2. **Policy Accessibility:**  \n   - Keep security policies in Nextcloud, accessible and easy to understand.  \n   - Encourage staff to ask questions and clarify doubts.\n\n3. **Reporting Culture:**  \n   - Incentivize staff to report suspicious incidents promptly, without fear of blame.\n\n\n\n## Continuous Improvement\n\n1. **Scheduled Reviews:**  \n   - Quarterly or annual security audits to update policies, tools, and configurations.\n\n2. **Stay Informed:**  \n   - Subscribe to open-source security mailing lists, RSS feeds, and non-profit tech communities.\n\n3. **Community Engagement:**  \n   - Participate in open-source forums and non-profit security groups to share experiences and stay current.\n\n\n## Automated Security Updates and Patch Management\n\n1. **OS \u0026 Application Patches:**  \n   - Configure unattended-upgrades or similar tools for automatic patching of Linux servers.  \n   - Use Ansible or Puppet to apply consistent security patches across multiple hosts.\n\n2. **Dependency Management with Renovate:**  \n   - Automate dependency updates for web applications or tools you maintain.  \n   - Review changes before production deployment to ensure stability.\n\n\n## Data Backup and Recovery\n\n1. **Regular Backups:**  \n   - Use **BorgBackup** or **Restic** for encrypted, incremental backups of critical data.  \n   - Perform daily incremental and weekly full backups.\n\n2. **Off-Site Storage:**  \n   - Store backups off-site or in a different cloud region. Encrypt them before upload.\n\n3. **Disaster Recovery Drills:**  \n   - Test restore procedures regularly to ensure reliability and resilience against ransomware and data loss.\n\n\n## Cloud Security and Hardening\n\n1. **Least Privilege Cloud Roles:**  \n   - Assign minimal IAM roles in the cloud environment. Restrict access to production servers.\n\n2. **Encryption:**  \n   - Always enable TLS for data in transit and use native encryption options for data at rest (e.g., LUKS or cloud-based encryption keys).\n\n3. **Secure Configurations:**  \n   - Regularly review firewall rules, security groups, and access logs in the cloud.\n\n4. **Monitoring:**  \n   - Send cloud logs to Wazuh for centralized alerting and incident response.\n\n\n## Third-Party Risk Management\n\n1. **Vendor Security Checks:**  \n   - When using external open-source solutions or cloud services, review their documentation, security track record, and community reputation.\n\n2. **License Review:**  \n   - Ensure all tools comply with open-source licenses that align with your organization’s values and requirements.\n\n\n## Compliance and Legal Considerations\n\n1. **Identify Applicable Regulations:**  \n   - Understand data protection regulations relevant to your jurisdiction (e.g., GDPR for EU data).\n\n2. **Implement Controls:**  \n   - Align policies with recognized frameworks (CIS Controls, NIST CSF) for guidance and compliance.\n\n3. **Documentation:**  \n   - Keep records of compliance efforts, configuration changes, and security incidents for auditing purposes.\n\n\n## Physical Security\n\n1. **Device Protection:**  \n   - If there is an office or data center presence, lock servers in secure cabinets.  \n   - Use cable locks for laptops and secure destruction methods (e.g., wiping or shredding disks) when decommissioning hardware.\n\n2. **Environmental Protections:**  \n   - Keep backups in safe locations, protected from fire, flooding, or theft.\n\n\n## Testing Your Security Posture\n\n1. **Tabletop Exercises:**  \n   - Simulate phishing attacks or system breaches to test staff responses and IRP effectiveness.\n\n2. **Ongoing Improvement:**  \n   - Refine incident response plans based on lessons learned.\n\n\n## Security Metrics and Reporting\n\n1. **Key Metrics:**  \n   - Track metrics such as patching timeframes, incident response times, and vulnerability counts.\n\n2. **Regular Reporting:**  \n   - Provide summaries to stakeholders (board members, donors) to demonstrate ongoing improvements and accountability.\n\n3. **Data-Driven Adjustments:**  \n   - Use metrics to prioritize where to invest time and resources (e.g., more training if phishing attempts are frequent).\n\n\n## Additional Recommendations and Advanced Topics\n\n- **Infrastructure as Code (IaC):**  \n  - Use Terraform or Ansible to define and deploy secure configurations repeatedly and reliably.\n  \n- **Container Security:**  \n  - If using containers (Docker, Kubernetes), adopt scanning tools (Trivy, Anchore) for open-source images.\n  \n- **Micro-Segmentation:**  \n  - Consider advanced identity-based segmentation for critical services as you grow.\n\n\n## Additional Resources\n\n- [NIST Cybersecurity Framework](https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework)  \n- [CIS Controls](https://www.cisecurity.org/controls/)  \n- [Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF)](https://openssf.org/)  \n- [OWASP](https://owasp.org/) for Web Application Security  \n- [GnuPG](https://gnupg.org/) for encryption guidance  \n- [EFF Surveillance Self-Defense](https://ssd.eff.org/) for user-friendly security instructions\n\n## Contributing\n\nThis guide thrives on community input. If you have suggestions, improvements, or additional tools to recommend, please submit a pull request or open an issue in the repository hosting this document.\n\n## Conclusion\n\nBy following these recommendations and leveraging free, open-source tools, your fully remote non-profit can establish a robust and cost-effective cybersecurity posture. Encourage continuous learning, adapt to emerging threats, and foster a security-conscious culture within your team. With the right mindset and resources, you can protect your organization, its donors, and the communities you serve.\n\n---\n\n**Disclaimer:** This document is provided for informational purposes only. No security measure is foolproof. Consult with cybersecurity professionals as needed and continuously adapt to new threats and challenges.\n","project_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fianonymous3000%2Fremote-nonprofit-netsec-guide","html_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/projects/github.com%2Fianonymous3000%2Fremote-nonprofit-netsec-guide","lists_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fianonymous3000%2Fremote-nonprofit-netsec-guide/lists"}