Cyber Solutions

GET YOUR BUSINESS PROTECTED – STAY CYBER SAFE!

Cybercriminals are plotting to breach your network right now… but what can you do to prevent it?

It’s a known fact that small businesses are more likely to be targeted by cybercriminals than any other business or organization.

While we only hear about major breaches on the news, we don’t get to hear the stories of the businesses that struggle with cyber breaches and cyber-attacks.

Why are small businesses targeted more?

Hackers love to go after small businesses for one very big reason: small businesses are less likely to invest in top-notch or even worthwhile cybersecurity protection or cyber insurance.

The reason comes down to many factors but the two in particular are: lack of resources and lack of knowledge. Of course, this is a wider subject of discussion, as hackers also look at a business’s customer base and the type of data the business shares online. Hackers go after targets they can profit from, whether they hold a business’s data hostage and demand a ransom or they launch a carefully plotted phishing attack.

Some businesses make it past the attack unscathed, but many don’t. Their data might be compromised in one way or another.

So, what can you do about this and how can you protect your business?

First and foremost, you have to realize YOUR business is a target, regardless if you’ve never been hacked before (it might just mean the hackers haven’t gotten to you just yet). Aside from a good business risk assessment, you have to look at getting cyber insurance protection in case an unfortunate situation arises.

To help you with this, Citynet Insurance Brokers provide fully tailored and comprehensive cyber insurance solutions. Our team of experienced professionals is working with a wide number of markets and can put together the right solution for your or your client’s business needs.

Things to consider when purchasing business Cyber Coverage

Following the new GDPR regulations coming in place, companies are scrutinised now more than ever before. The latest cases are those of Bupa – being fined £175,000 by ICO with for systemic data protection failures (employee offered personal information on the dark web) and Tesco Bank being handed a £16.4 million fine by FCA over cyber breach that happened in 2016 (for failure to exercise due skill, care, and diligence in protecting its personal current account holders against a cyber-attack).

There is no shortage of innovative techniques attackers will utilise to breach business defences, but more often than not, we identify a human element to cyber claims, hence the importance of having proper controls and robust staff training process in place to prevent the worst from happening.

As a wholesale broker, Citynet Cyber Services can map the risks your organisation is facing and ensure these are sufficiently managed through insurance.

• Growing risks of a cyberattack- Understanding the GDPR legislation and the changing DPA (Data Protection Act) is critical for all companies.
• Cyber insurance should be bought from a broker that has expertise in cyber. The broker will need to review existing policies and find any gaps where coverage doesn’t currently exist
• A blend of insurance policies such as Professional Indemnity Insurance together with Cyber Insurance can be used to achieve a suitable level of coverage
• Ensure that the cyber insurer provides comprehensive post-breach services

Based on your business size, sectors and geographic locations it operates in, your cyber protection needs may vary. There are a few further things one can look at for when deciding on a cyber-insurance policy cover, such as:

1. Network security coverage, including hardware, software, physical and staff status – cover extends employee actions, business process outsourcing (BPO) or outsourced IT provider.
2. Data breach incident response, including attack recognition, response planning, and recovery planning – cover includes damages resulting from alleged violations of privacy laws and regulations.
3. Multimedia liability – in other words, infringement of domain name, copyright, trade names, logo, and service mark on internet or intranet site.
4. Laptop insurance
5. Cyber business interruption coverage – includes lost revenue as a result of a cyber-breach.
6. Coverage for cyber extortion and terrorism – cover includes credible threat to introduce malicious code; pharm and phish customer systems; or to corrupt, damage or destroy systems.
7. Litigation and enforcement proceedings, not including governmental fines
8. Loss in association with 3rd party systems
9. Lost/stolen data and digital asset
10. Crisis management and PR – cover to restore your reputation as a result of a data breach
11. Forensics
12. Ransomware – a form of malware that locks victims out of being able to access their data until a ransom is paid

“The accelerated pace of today’s digital transformation, business interruption and data breach will continue to be significant drivers of loss at present and into the future.  Methods used by cyber criminals are becoming more sophisticated, whether it is a small business or a larger corporation, cyber liability insurance will help you keep on top of the threats as well as lessening the damage of the breach,” added Rebecca Johnston – Professional Indemnity Broker at Citynet.