Cyber insurance exists to help you cover any losses from a data breach or other cyber incident. However, just like other types of insurance, your premiums will cost more if you consider a high-risk business.

So, how can cyber insurers view you as a low-risk business instead? It’s not just about past incidents; insurers also consider your readiness to prevent and respond to possible threats.

According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), direct written premiums in 2022 increased by 49.9% from 2021. This trend may slow down or continue to accelerate — and in either case, the rise of premiums and companies seeking coverage indicates the necessity of this type of insurance.

Being able to demonstrate incident readiness shows to cyber insurers that your company has taken even precautions to prevent incidents from occurring. Additionally, comprehensive incident response plans show that you’re ready to mount an effective response should an issue occur.

So, we’ll be breaking down why incident readiness is so critical and how to start demonstrating readiness for lower premiums and expansive coverage.

Why Incident Readiness is Critical for Cyber Insurance

Before diving deeper into how you can demonstrate incident readiness, how does doing so help with cyber insurance? Let’s explore a few ways this can help.

• Risk assessment and premiums: Insurers often evaluate an organization’s cybersecurity measures when setting insurance premiums. Companies that demonstrate comprehensive incident readiness typically face lower premiums because they are viewed as lower risks.
• Policy terms and conditions: An organization’s preparedness can influence a cyber insurance policy’s terms and conditions. Insurers may offer more favorable terms or broader coverage to companies with comprehensive incident response plans and strong security practices.
• Minimizing losses: Effective incident response can substantially reduce a cyber breach’s financial and operational impact. Insurers value these plans because they limit their financial exposure when covering losses.
• Legal and regulatory compliance: Incident readiness often involves ensuring that an organization complies with relevant laws and regulations related to data protection and cybersecurity. Compliance is critical, as failure can result in significant fines and penalties, which insurance may not cover fully.
• Reputation management: Responding quickly and effectively to cyber incidents helps preserve an organization’s reputation. Insurers consider this when assessing the risk, as reputational damage can have long-lasting financial impacts.
• Business continuity: Strong incident readiness enables organizations to resume normal operations more quickly after a cyber event, reducing downtime and associated costs. A resilient security policy is attractive to insurers as it decreases the likelihood of a large payout for business interruption.

How to Demonstrate Incident Readiness

Incident readiness requires comprehensive planning, practice, and assessment to improve resilience. Demonstrating this resilience focuses on showing insurers what you’ve done to mitigate risks and respond to risks that become reality.

So, we’ll be breaking down how you can demonstrate resilience, starting from the incident response planning.

Develop a Comprehensive Incident Response Plan

A well-structured incident response plan is crucial for effectively managing cybersecurity incidents. The plan should clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the incident response team, including some or all of the following roles:

• Incident Response Manager
• Security Analysts
• Threat Intelligence Experts
• IT Staff
• Legal Counsel
• Communications Manager

The incident response plan should outline specific procedures, starting with preparation, identification, containment, eradication, and recovery. A few additional areas to cover during your planning include the following:

• Communication strategies must cover secure internal coordination and public statements for external stakeholders. Pre-approved templates can ensure consistency during crises.
• Compliance with data breach notification laws, industry-specific regulations, and general standards like GDPR and CCPA is essential. Timely notifications help maintain transparency and trust.
• Regular reviews and updates of the incident response plan ensure it remains effective against emerging threats while fulfilling legal and regulatory obligations.

Conduct Regular Risk Assessments

Consistent risk assessments ensure the pre-emptive identification of threats and reinforce the organization’s cybersecurity posture, demonstrating a commitment to maintaining comprehensive security standards.

At predefined intervals, evaluate known risks with vulnerability scans and penetration testing to identify and mitigate potential security weaknesses. Additionally, document each assessment and any remediation actions to showcase ongoing vigilance to insurers. 

Implement Strong Cybersecurity Measures

To safeguard against cyber threats, utilize firewalls and antivirus software to prevent unauthorized access and malware attacks. While a complex process unique to your needs and industry, there are still some overarching practices to follow, such as: 

• Encryption should be applied to sensitive data in transit and at rest to protect it from unauthorized access. 
• Strengthen access controls by implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA), ensuring that only authorized users can gain access.
• Ensure all software is regularly updated to shield against known vulnerabilities and maintain optimal security.

These measures provide a comprehensive defense, reinforcing your organization’s cybersecurity posture.

Train Employees Regularly

Provide ongoing cybersecurity training to all employees to reduce the risk of incidents resulting from human error or targeting the human element, like phishing attacks. Regularly update training materials to cover new and evolving threats, ensuring staff remain informed about the latest security risks.

By fostering a security-conscious culture and encouraging vigilance, organizations can significantly enhance their defense against cyber threats, reducing the likelihood of breaches caused by employee actions.

Document Incident Response Data for Insurers

Lastly, the above steps and all related data must be thoroughly documented to provide insurers. Include all implemented platforms to show your resilience, such as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) or out-of-band communications platforms.

Provide detailed answers to all insurer queries regarding your cybersecurity practices, incident history, and readiness strategies. Transparency is key to establishing trust with insurers.

Additionally, maintain detailed records of past incidents and how they were managed. This documentation should demonstrate your organization’s ability to respond effectively to incidents and the lessons learned from them.

Start Planning and Documenting Readiness for Ideal Cyber Insurance

Cyber insurance is a must-have, but costly premiums can become a major strain on the business. Taking the steps we’ve detailed above to better protect your business will help you secure better rates and more expansive coverage and bolster your cyber resilience.

ShadowHQ offers an industry-leading incident preparedness and response platform that helps you check the cyber insurance due diligence questionnaire box.  Book a personalized demo today to explore how ShadowHQ can support your team’s cyber insurance application processes.