Companies across the world are relying more and more on their digital presence to function but with cyber attacks becoming all the more frequent and those behind the attacks becoming smarter and more sophisticated, we need to be on our guard to keep our data safe from these attacks.
Unfortunately we hear too often of viruses wiping data and personal details being taken – you only have to look at the most recent public data breaches such as LinkedIn and MySpace to see the effects it can have. Two factor password combinations, encryption, perimeter firewalls, anti-virus software; there are so many things we can do to help prevent attacks but alongside new defences, come new attacks!
So what effect could an attack have on your business? A cyber attack can be anything from a virus deleting your data to theft of confidential & personal information, to physical damage such as theft following the loss of control of your CCTV or alarm system. Different trades, premises, equipment, employees, customers all come with different risks. You may find that the biggest risk to your business is your customer information and the fines that come alongside a data breach or it could be the loss of information that you are unable to recover that was stored on your computer systems.
Sometimes all the defences we put in place are just not enough. Due to human error or just sophisticated attacks, some cyber attacks get through the net and we need to have a back up just in case.
You may have been told that your insurance policy covers you for all damage including your computer hardware and software however, be cautious as some policies do not usually include cover for cyber attacks. The majority of general insurance policies exclude some, if not all, cyber liability or only provide cover for limited damage.
To make sure you have that extra security blanket, a specialist Cyber Liability insurance policy can be purchased. A number of insurers do now provide this particular cover; however no two policies are the same, each providing different levels of cover. Don’t be tempted by the shortest proposal form, make sure the cover is right for your business.
If you would like to discuss protection for your business in more detail, please get in touch with us on 01302 341 344 or 0114 243 9914.
By Rachel Whiteley Dip CII – Commercial Account Handler.