What Is Cyber Insurance? – Nationwide (2024)

Unfortunately, data breaches and other cyber crimes are becoming way too common. In the past couple years, data breaches have resulted in major fines and legal fees – not to mention headaches – for a discount retail chain, one of the nation’s largest banks, a well-known health insurer, an entertainment network and the federal government.

But it's not just large organizations that are susceptible to being hacked or getting a virus. Did you know that 55% of small businesses have experienced a data breach and that 53% have had multiple breaches?1

A data breach can damage more than just your small-business computer system – it also can damage your reputation and put your customers and/or employees at risk. That's why cyber insurance can be a smart precaution for any size business.

What is cyber insurance?

Cyber insurance generally covers your business' liability for a data breach involving sensitive customer information, such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, account numbers, driver's license numbers and health records.

Won’t my general liability policy cover cyber liability?

General liability insurance covers bodily injuries and property damage resulting from your products, services or operations. Cyber insurance is often excluded from a general liability policy.

What does cyber insurance cover?

Besides legal fees and expenses, cyber insurance typically helps with:

  • Notifying customers about a data breach
  • Restoring personal identities of affected customers
  • Recovering compromised data
  • Repairing damaged computer systems

Most states require companies to notify customers of a data breach involving personally identifiable information2– a process that can be very expensive. And even though most states don’t require companies to offer free credit monitoring following a breach, such a gesture goes a long way with public relations.

Cyber insurance from Nationwide

Nationwide, together with Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB), offers cyber security coverages and services to small business owners. We offer three cyber insurance coverages and services:

  • Data compromise protection, which includes credit monitoring and services provided by a public-relations firm.
  • Identity recovery protection, which helps victims of identity fraud restore their credit history.
  • Cyber Protection, which protects your business against damage caused by a virus or computer attack, as well as helping with the cost of restoring and recreating data.

We also offer tips to help you manage your computer and technology risks resulting from data loss, data breaches, denial of service attacks, malware, viruses and more.

2https://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/2019-security-breach-legislation.aspx

Product, coverage, discounts, insurance terms, definitions, and other descriptions are intended for informational purposes only and do not in any way replace or modify the definitions and information contained in your individual insurance contracts, policies, and/or declaration pages from Nationwide-affiliated underwriting companies, which are controlling. Such products, coverages, terms, and discounts may vary by state and exclusions may apply.

What Is Cyber Insurance? – Nationwide (2024)

FAQs

What Is Cyber Insurance? – Nationwide? ›

Cyber insurance from Nationwide

What is cyber insurance in USA? ›

Cybersecurity insurance (cyber insurance) is a product that enables businesses to mitigate the risk of cyber crime activity like cyberattacks and data breaches.

Why does my company need cyber insurance? ›

From defraying costs following a potential incident to indemnification for legal fees, small business cyber insurance helps ensure protection against events like data breaches of client information and ransomware attacks.

What does cyber crime insurance cover? ›

Your coverage for security breach remediation and notification expenses would include purchasing an identity fraud insurance policy, credit monitoring services, computer forensics and access to a Breach Coach for advice regarding initial breach response. Cyber insurance also can help protect you before a breach.

What can cyber insurance do? ›

Cyber insurance can assist you with managing your cyber risks and preventing cyber incidents from occurring. Insurers can offer access to cyber security expertise and threat intelligence services, conduct IT vulnerability assessments, offer staff training on cyber security and help with password management.

Who should get cyber insurance? ›

Any business that stores or processes sensitive information should consider cyber liability insurance. Consider coverage if you store data such as customer names and addresses, Social Security numbers, medical records, and financial information such as credit card information.

Is cyber insurance mandatory? ›

Companies will be required to have cyber insurance policies in place to protect against cyber threats. Cyber insurance will be a mandatory requirement for businesses that want to do business with other companies. The cyber insurance market will continue to grow in 2024.

How much does cyber insurance cost? ›

How much does cyber insurance typically cost? For small businesses, annual cyber insurance premiums can range from $1,000 to $7,500. This range is dependent on several factors, which we discuss below. A recent survey found that the majority of cyber insurance underwriters expect rates to increase slightly in 2024.

What is the risk of no cyber insurance? ›

Loss or corruption of data. Business interruption. Multiple types of liability. Identity theft.

How common is cyber insurance? ›

The global cyber insurance market tripled in volume in the last five years, expanding to gross direct premiums of around USD 13 billion in 2022, according to the Swiss Re Institute (SRI). In just two years, the market has seen significant rate increases and re-underwriting to restore profitability.

How much cyber insurance do I need? ›

Most small businesses purchase a cyber liability insurance policy with a $1 million per-occurrence limit, a $1 million aggregate limit, and a $1,000 deductible.

What is an example of a cyber insurance claim? ›

A firm's employee unwittingly clicks a link in a phishing email resulting in ransomware locking out the firm's ability to utilize business critical technology until a ransom demand is paid (or they're able to restore network from back-ups).

What is cyber insurance for individuals? ›

Cyber insurance policy provides a safety shield for businesses and individuals against malware and ransomware cyber-attacks.

Should I take out cyber insurance? ›

Every business with a cyber exposure would benefit from cyber insurance—that's almost every business! Not sure if you have a cyber exposure? Businesses that rely on computer systems to carry out business operations, store data or transfer money by electronic means are at risk and should purchase first-party coverage.

Why is cyber insurance so expensive? ›

You could probably figure out the simple answer on your own: cyber insurance costs more because of the huge rise in data breaches and hacks in the post-COVID world. When the pandemic hit and employees started working remotely en masse, it created a cybersecurity crisis.

What is the difference between cyber insurance and cyber crime insurance? ›

Cyber liability and crime insurance face several overlaps, and the offenses often unfold in similar ways. Still, these distinctions draw the line between the two: Crime insurance responds to direct losses, whereas cyber liability insurance deals with indirect losses.

Is cyber insurance the same as crime insurance? ›

IN SHORT: Crime policies cover the direct loss of your funds, whether through maleficence, employee dishonesty or social engineering whereas cyber policies cover economic damages arising through a failure of network security or privacy controls which may cause indirect losses.

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