Biggest barriers to selling cyber policies
March 1, 2024 David GambrillProduct complexity remains a huge obstacle to selling cyber insurance to neophyte business clients, brokers told Canadian Underwriter in a January online survey. A stronger emphasis on cyber education — to clients, brokers, and underwriters alike — is critical to…
Help small business clients deter cyberattacks
October 3, 2023 Jason ContantWhen it comes to cybersecurity in 2023, employees are usually the weakest link, ethical hackers told Canadian Underwriter. This is especially true for smaller businesses, which often have no visibility into their corporate networks, little or no budget for cybersecurity,…
Hub privacy breach affects “limited” amount of Canadian data
August 11, 2023 by David GambrillHub International Limited, a Chicago-based brokerage with offices in 10 Canadian provinces and territories, has reported a privacy breach of data related to “a limited number of Canadians.” Hub posted a “notice of a data privacy event” online on Friday,…
Can we predict where cyber claims might emerge?
July 4, 2023 Philip PoradoData culled from external scanning systems and other tech tools can help insurers improve underwriting by showing where cyber claims might emerge. But only if the companies develop methods for making proper use of that data, said a recent Gallagher…
Can cyber coverage recover from past high loss ratios?
March 20, 2023 Jason ContantThe Canadian cyber market in general has suffered some “pretty bad loss ratios in the last couple of years,” said Jack Bottomley, senior consultant for cybersecurity with KPMG in Canada. Not long ago, the industry saw its cyber loss ratio…
Will cyber bonds help reinsurers transfer risk?
February 3, 2023 Philip PoradoCan reinsurers transfer cyber risk to the capital markets? We may be close to finding out. Recently, two announcements about the issuing of insurance-linked securities (ILS) show there’s a potential to create a broader reinsurance source for cyber risk, said…
How Canada’s D&O and cyber insurance markets are shifting
November 14, 2022 by David GambrillSofter market conditions in Canada’s D&O insurance market have arrived, with ample capacity and decreased pricing in this class of business in 2023 Q3, according to Aon. “The [Canadian D&O] market transition further accelerated in Q3, especially for public companies…
Privacy commissioner recommends ransomware insurance
October 31, 2022 by David GambrillOntario’s privacy commissioner recommends businesses should consider an insurance policy that will cover first-party costs of responding to a ransomware attack. “Consider obtaining a cyber insurance policy that offsets the costs associated with responding to an incident such as forensic…
How your large business clients can manage cyber risks they can’t see
June 14, 2022 by David GambrillIn the wake of lifting of pandemic restrictions, digital transformation is becoming so extensive that organizations are having trouble getting a handle on their broadening cyber exposures. “As organizations grow and incorporate digital and cloud transformation into the fabric of…
‘Antivirus on steroids’ — one way to protect your clients from ransomware
March 16, 2022 by David GambrillTo help clients detect their cyber exposures, insurers are recommending ‘powerful’ preventative measures such as endpoint detection responses (EDR) — dubbed ‘antivirus on steroids.’ Used in combination with multi-factor authentication, EDR is deemed superior to traditional anti-virus software because the…
Six ways insurers can reduce ransomware risk
January 18, 2022 Erin KenneallyCyber insurance was once seen as a bright spot for the commercial insurance industry, with lower loss ratios and higher profitability than other major areas of commercial coverage. Fast forward a few years and Fitch Ratings is reporting 2020’s direct…
As cyber attacks increase, insurers in the space face rising losses
October 13, 2021 James Langton - Advisor's EdgeAmid rising losses and increasing claims on cyber insurance, companies that provide insurance against online hackers are facing growing risks, says Fitch Ratings. In a new report, the rating agency said that while cyber insurance has been a profitable line…