The Insurance Journal posted an article yesterday regarding the top risks for 2015. The survey was completed by top insurance and reinsurance executives. According to 40% of respondents, cyber liability is the most threatening emerging risk. Terrorism came in second, with 31% of the respondents identifying it as a top emerging risk (climate change was 3rd).
“Cyber attacks are one of the most serious economic and national security challenges facing not only the insurance industry, but governments and businesses around the world,” said Andrew Marcell, managing director and chief executive officer of U.S. operations at Guy Carpenter.
In this interconnected world, cyber liability is probably the least understood and most underinsured risk a business faces. As witnessed first hand by major international retailers (see Target, Home Depot) – the risks are present no matter the size of your business. Furthermore, protection against cyber liability threats continues to prove more difficult as threats become more sophisticated.
Inc. Magazine posted an article (read here) that points out 5 reasons you should have cyber liability insurance:
1. It’s more affordable thank you think.
2. It can cover more than you think (most policies offer ‘first party’ coverage – which covers business interruption and the cost of notifying customers of a breach).
3. You probably don’t have a risk management team.
4. Even if you don’t host your data yourself, you’re still responsible.
5. Your general (liability) policy won’t cover you.
Most times, especially for small businesses, the expenses created by a data breach can be enough to put a company out of business. These costs can include: notifying customers of a breach, possible regulatory fines, and public relations expenses related to a breach.
There are few businesses left that don’t have some type of cyber liability exposure. Consequently, it’s always in your best interest to discuss your exposure with your insurance agent and determine if coverage is appropriate for you. If you don’t have ANY cyber liability insurance, we recommend you take a good, hard look at your exposure and realize that a simple cyber attack may be more costly than you think.