Cyber Liability Insurance Essentials for Modern Businesses
Cyber liability coverage is a relatively new category of commercial insurance. This type of policy was created in response to the growing concern about data breaches, ransomware, and phishing attacks. These attacks can disrupt your business or potentially force you to close your doors permanently. Here’s how the right cyber policy can help.
What Is Cyber Liability Commercial Insurance?
Cyber liability coverage helps you manage financial losses from cyber incidents. This type of commercial coverage may cover costs like legal fees, customer notifications, and data recovery.
While these policies vary, they typically address both first-party and third-party losses. A commercial insurance agency can tailor the scope of coverage to fit your needs.
Why You Need Coverage
Every business that handles digital data faces cyber risks. Don’t think that your company is too large (or too small) to be a target for digital criminals. Small businesses tend to be especially vulnerable because their cybersecurity measures are not as robust.
A good cyber liability insurance policy can help you bounce back should you become the victim of an attack. The policy can cover your essential expenses and provide a critical safety net.
Key Protection Areas
Cyber liability policies typically include several protections, such as:
Data Breach Response
Data breach response costs can pay for things such as notifying affected customers and providing credit monitoring to anyone whose data has been compromised.
Legal Fees
If you are sued or you face regulatory fines due to the breach, a liability policy could help cover these costs. However, it’s important to ensure your coverage limits are high enough to cover the potential expenses you incur. Talk to an experienced insurance agent to discuss how high you should set your policy limits. Make sure to consider other factors, such as your deductible amount, as well as any incidents that are excluded.
Ransomware Payments
Ransomware attacks occur when hackers hijack your data and hold it hostage for an exorbitant amount of money. Some policies may cover the ransomware payments necessary to get your data back. This type of coverage isn’t standard. Ask your agent if ransomware payments are an available add-on.
Business Disruptions
A single breach can lead to tens of thousands in lost income during system downtime. Estimate how much a company-wide outage would cost you and how long it would take you to get your systems back online. Use these estimates to choose an appropriate business disruption coverage amount.
How to Choose the Right Policy
Working with an experienced commercial insurance agency will help you identify the right plan for your business. Discuss everything from your daily revenue to how long it will take you to recover from a massive breach. Compare at least a few different policies, and be mindful of exclusions to avoid gaps.
Staying Ahead of Cyber Threats
A commercial insurance agent can help you identify the right policy and adequate coverage amounts for your business. Don’t wait until disaster strikes. Take advantage of cyber liability insurance and protect the future of your company.