Cyber insurance
As the digital world continues to grow and evolve, the threat of data breaches and cyber attacks grows with it. Small businesses need to ensure they’re prepared for the unexpected with the right type of insurance coverage.
10 minute read
What is cyber risk and data breach coverage?
Cyber risk insurance is designed to help protect small businesses like yours from certain losses associated with cyber or privacy breaches. If your business gets hacked, a device containing sensitive information is breached, or a document containing personally identifiable customer information is lost, cyber risk insurance could help cover the cost of remedial actions. It could also help with the costs of legal claims, network repairs, and public relations services to get your business back on track faster.
Cybercrime is on the rise
Learn the risks and find out how prepared your business is compared to others we surveyed from across Canada.
What is a cyber breach?
A cyber breach is when an unauthorized individual or organization gains the ability to view, access, or retrieve data from another individual or organization. Cyber breaches typically involve stealing data to share with others, or stealing data and holding it for ransom. Cyber breaches are also known as data breaches, leaks, or spills.
Do small businesses need cyber risk insurance?
There’s a common misconception among small business owners that cyber criminals are only interested in large corporations. But smaller companies tend to be easier to hack because they lack the resources and protective barriers of larger ones, and are sometimes targeted as a point of entry to gain access to more sizable vendors or customers.
In many cases, the smaller your business is, the worse the implications of a loss can be.
Cyber risk insurance is particularly important for entrepreneurs who rely on computers and technology for their services. Regardless of your industry, if you provide services in a digital capacity, rely on a computer for your business, or collect any type of customer data and financial records, cyber event expense coverage should be a key ingredient in your small business insurance policy.
Examples of cyber breaches
Hackers are becoming savvier, making it increasingly difficult for small businesses to defend themselves from a data breach. If a cyber attacker can gain access to your computer, network or other electronic system, they may be able to steal client information, employee information, accounting information, and other valuable data from you.
Having the right coverage in place can help in the following scenarios:
- An employee receives a fraudulent email from a hacker posing as their manager, requesting their login details to the company’s customer relationship management (CRM) system. The hacker then gains access to your company’s private information including customer information, client information, or employee information, and threatens to sell or disclose it.
- After a long weekend, employees return to their computers to find that electronic data on their company’s computer system has been encrypted, preventing authorized access to anyone.
- Running to their next meeting, an employee leaves their briefcase in a cab, losing their mobile device and paperwork containing confidential customer information.
- A hacker forcibly interrupts or threatens to interrupt your company’s computer system, also known as a denial of service attack.
What does cyber risk insurance cover?
After suffering from a cyber breach, you’d look to your cyber risk insurance for assistance. It may be able to help with expenses associated with managing the hack, such as incident response expenses, data recovery expenses, and public relations services.
In addition to the coverage provided through their cyber risk insurance, TruShield customers also have access to support services provided by CyberScout, a leading data risk management service provider. This service includes consultation on proactive measures to protect your business from cyber threats, as well as reactive assistance should you suffer a breach through services such as crisis management, notification assistance, and media relations consulting.
The service also gives customers access to CyberScout’s website, which provides data protection tips, data breach regulations, encryption guides, and templates that can help you form an incident response plan.
Think cyber event coverage is what your small business needs?
There are some misconceptions in the small business world pertaining to insurance. Some owners don’t think they need it, while others think it’s too expensive for them. The truth is, no matter how small your business is, or how early you are in the startup process — you’re still at risk for loss, and sometimes that loss can be much more expensive than insurance coverage.
Other types of coverage to consider:
Commercial general liability insurance: Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance is designed to protect you and your business from a loss if you’re found legally liable for bodily injuries or property damage to a third party caused by the product you sell or the service you provide. CGL insurance can also offer protection in situations where you or your employees are conducting business offsite.
Product liability insurance: Product liability insurance is often included in a CGL policy, but not always. It’s important to double check that your small business insurance policy does protect you from risks associated with product liability claims.
Professional Liability: If one of your clients or customers claims your advice caused them a financial loss, your professional liability coverage can help you recover from the financial consequences that may incur. This coverage is also known as errors and omissions (E&O) coverage.
Property insurance: As a small business owner, you likely rely on your property, tools, equipment, and technology to help keep your business running. If one of those key pieces of the puzzle was damaged and needed repair, you may not be able to continue operations. This is when you need property insurance coverage.
Equipment breakdown insurance: Your equipment is covered in your property insurance policy for damage caused by external sources, such as fire, floods, and weather damage; however, you may not be covered for electrical or mechanical damage. In these situations, you’d look to your equipment breakdown insurance.
Commercial auto insurance: If you or your employees use your vehicle for business purposes you need commercial auto insurance to protect that vehicle in ways your personal auto policy may not be able to.
