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Staying safe online is something we hear near enough every day, would you agree? The number of loopholes circling cyber safety measures astounds us day in, day out. With bold attacks launching online with the threat to expose sensitive corporate information, business owners must be both aware and responsive to digital risks that could potentially come your way.
Check out our guide to fighting off keyboard warriors with those nasty cyber attacks and protect your business with Todd and Cue Cyber Liability insurance…
The WannaCry Attack
We start this guide with an example of a cyber attack that took online users by storm in 2017. Caused by the WannaCry worm, it targeted over 200,000 victims by running the Microsoft Windows operating system by encrypting data and demanding payments in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
What Can I Do To Fight Off Cyber Attacks?
Monitor your devices
If your business relies on digital technology on a day to day basis, whether that be to store customer data, sensitive information or personal details then you must ensure that you do everything you can to protect your technology from any potential risks.
Those carrying out cyber attacks are usually very smart in terms of knowing every nook and cranny as to how to get the information they are after therefore you must know what you are doing when withholding such data.
The first step is to monitor each device your business owns and actively uses. Start by knowing how many devices you have and exactly which member of your team uses what. Starting from the basics and build your security from the inside out to protect from theft, loss and/or misuse.
- Protect each device with a complicated password that only you and your employers will know
- Do not write any passwords down
- Only allow employers to take equipment home if completely necessary (this can prevent technology from ending up in the wrong hands)
Secure data with encryption
You can encrypt your messages, files and content which means to prevent unauthorised access.
Back everything up
ALWAYS store a backup of any imperative information that you need to keep. From names, phone numbers, payment details – whatever data you need on a regular basis, it is important to make sure that you know exactly where it is stored and who has what access to it. Backup data is a strong solution when unfortunate events such as ransomware attacks take place with major threat, and it is important to reassure your customer that their data is always safe in your hands.
Explore Cyber Insurance with Todd and Cue
Cyber Liability Insurance is growing more important on a daily basis due to the rise of cyber attacks. When an attack occurs, in some cases businesses are forced to close the business for a number of days/weeks until they are able to re-open. A cyber liability insurance policy covers the losses relating to damage to, or loss of information from, IT systems and networks.
As a business of any size, it is likely you will rely on IT infrastructure to some degree. If so, you will be exposed to the risks of business interruption, income loss, damage management and repair, and possibly reputational damage if IT equipment or systems fail or are interrupted.
While existing insurance policies such as commercial property, business interruption or professional indemnity insurance, may provide some elements of cover against cyber risks, businesses are increasingly buying specialised cyber insurance policies to supplement their existing insurance arrangements, particularly if they:
- hold sensitive customer details such as names, addresses or banking information
- rely heavily on IT systems and websites to conduct their business
- process payment card information as a matter of course
Generally, cyber risks fall into the first party and third party risks. Insurance products exist to cover either or both of these types of risks.
First-party insurance covers your businesses own assets. This may include:
- Loss or damage to digital assets such as data or software programmes
- Business interruption from network downtime
- Cyber exhortation where third parties threaten to damage or release data if money is not paid to them
- Customer notification expenses when there is a legal or regulatory requirement to notify them of a security or privacy breach
- Reputational damage arising from a breach of data that results in loss of intellectual property or customers
- Theft of money or digital assets through theft of equipment or electronic theft
Third-party insurance covers the assets of others, typically your customers. This may include:
- Security and privacy breaches, the investigation, defence costs and civil damages associated with them
- Multimedia liability, to cover investigation, defence costs and civil damages arising from defamation, breach of privacy or negligence in publication in electronic or print media
- Loss of third-party data, including payment of compensation to customers for denial of access and failure of software or systems
Get In Touch Today…
If you would like to discuss what options you have readily available with our Cyber Liability insurance policy here at Todd and Cue, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Give us a call on 0191 482 005 or email us at info@toddcue.com.
