Yubico & Solvatten boost digital security & clean water

Yubico has partnered with Solvatten through its Secure It Forward programme to address environmental sustainability and digital security in developing countries.

Yubico's Secure It Forward programme aims to combine digital security measures with corporate efforts to lessen environmental impact, such as those caused by employee travel.

Geoff Schomburgk, Vice President for Asia Pacific and Japan at Yubico, explained the rationale behind the company's strategy. "As sustainability expands to include social, economic, and technological challenges, cybersecurity has emerged as a top global threat, with cybercrime projected to cost USD $12 trillion this year. Stolen credentials and phishing account for 80% of breaches," he said.

Yubico's collaboration with Solvatten supports initiatives aiming to provide reliable access to clean water in resource-constrained communities. The company began its partnership with the social enterprise in 2022, focusing specifically on reducing the environmental impact associated with staff travel.

In 2024, Yubico's financial contributions enabled the purchase of 86 solar-powered water-cleaning units. These units delivered 3.6 million litres of clean, warm water to 430 individuals over the course of the year. Solvatten's portable water treatment devices use solar energy to make water both safe and hot, requiring no wood or coal.

Oliwer Wadström, Chief Executive Officer at Solvatten, described the broader implications of the work, highlighting ongoing practical and gender-based challenges. "Stop global boiling: Over two billion people still rely on wood or coal to treat and heat their water, placing a heavy burden on women and girls," Wadström said. "Since 2022, Solvatten and Yubico have joined forces to address this unsustainable practice; thanks to companies and organisations like Yubico, more than 800,000 people are now benefiting from Solvatten globally."

The digital security aspect of Yubico's initiatives is central to the Secure It Forward programme. This effort seeks to mitigate risks for communities and organisations that might otherwise be vulnerable to cyber attack. Yubico donates YubiKeys, their hardware authentication product, free of charge to such groups and individuals.

Since its 2021 launch, Secure It Forward has donated more than 65,000 security keys to nonprofit and advocacy organisations in over 20 countries. Recipients include The Anti-Defamation League, Freedom of the Press, The Legal Aid Society, and Civil Rights Defenders.

The Secure It Forward programme operates collaboratively. Yubico works alongside Google, Microsoft and Cloudflare, integrating cybersecurity tools and expertise from these partner organisations to provide a comprehensive approach to protection—combining hardware authentication with email protection and DDoS mitigation for at-risk groups.

Geoff Schomburgk commented on the company's vision for ongoing efforts. "As we look to the future, Yubico remains committed to driving positive change by advancing both environmental sustainability and digital security, because a safer, more resilient world starts with protecting what matters most," Schomburgk said.

The Secure It Forward programme is structured so that Yubico matches up to 5% of the number of YubiKeys purchased via its online shop, donating corresponding devices to non-profit organisations, election campaigns, journalists, and humanitarian workers around the world.

Groups supported by Secure It Forward include journalists, humanitarian workers, non-profits that aim to protect freelance writers from online threats such as doxing, human rights organisations focusing on social justice issues, and political networks committed to maintaining democratic integrity. Additionally, the programme aids organisations seeking to promote diversity and inclusion within the fields of technology and security, including those hosting STEM events, hackathons, and educational initiatives.