Beyond the Basics: Is Your Church’s IT Security Ready for Modern Threats?

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

- 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

Introduction:

You lock the doors to your church building at night. It’s a basic step to keep everything safe. In the digital world, having antivirus software is like that basic lock on the door. It’s a good first step.

But today, online threats are much more clever. They don’t just try to break the lock. They try to trick you into opening the door for them. Is your church’s security ready for that?

With that said, let's identify the modern threats facing your church's IT! 👊

Why Modern Threats Target Churches

It’s easy to think, “We’re just a church, why would hackers target us?” The truth is, your church holds valuable information, like member names, addresses, and donation records.

Your church network is also very busy. You have staff, volunteers, and even guests using it. This creates many opportunities for one person to make one small mistake that can put the whole ministry at risk.

Dangers That Go Beyond a Simple Virus

Today’s biggest risks are not always viruses. They are often clever tricks designed to fool good people.

Tricky Emails (Phishing)

Phishing is when a bad actor sends an email that looks like it’s from someone you trust, like a church leader or a familiar company.

The email might ask you to click a link or open a file. If you do, it can steal your passwords or let a hacker into your system.

Locking Your Files (Ransomware)

Ransomware is a nasty kind of attack that locks up all your church’s computer files. The attackers then demand money to unlock them.

This can happen if someone clicks a bad link or even visits an infected website. Without a safe backup, this kind of attack can be devastating.

Adding Stronger Locks to Your Digital Doors

Because threats have gotten smarter, our security needs to be smarter, too. Basic antivirus is no longer enough. You need extra layers of protection.

Blocking Bad Websites Automatically

One of the best new layers of security is called DNS filtering. Think of it like a security guard for your internet.

Before your computer visits any website, this guard checks the address against a list of known dangerous sites. If the site is on the bad list, the guard stops you from going there. This helps prevent you from accidentally visiting a site that could infect your computer.

Keeping Everything Updated for You

Software programs have small holes that hackers can use to sneak in. Companies release updates to “patch” these holes and keep you safe.

But it’s hard to keep up with updates for every program on every computer. Automated maintenance means a service does this for you. It makes sure all your software is always patched and secure, closing the holes before hackers can find them.

Security That Gives You Peace of Mind

Protecting your ministry in the digital world is about more than just a simple lock. It’s about having smart, layered security that works quietly in the background.

Systems Shepherd provides these modern layers of protection. We handle the automated updates and the website filtering for you. We make sure your digital doors are truly secure so you can have peace of mind and focus on your ministry.

Click here to learn how Systems Shepherd can protect your church's computer!