Business Owners: Insuring Your Business Against Cyber Liability

As a business owner, your business is an important piece of your financial plan. It may also be one of the assets that requires your most attention, and there are many ways in which you must work to protect your business. One area that can be overlooked is insuring your business against cyber liability.

Is your business protected?

According to one study done by the US Small Business Administration, 88% of small business owners feel their business is vulnerable to a cyber-attack. These concerns may be well founded: according to another study, 46% of all small businesses have at some point been the target of a ransomware attack.

Business owners are required to protect their customers’ personal information. In all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia, businesses are required to notify individuals of security breaches involving personally identifiable information.

As evidenced by news of large-scale data breaches, online hacking has become another form of risk that businesses now face every day. Like many risks, businesses can insure themselves against the financial damage a cyber-attack may inflict.

Cyber liability insurance may cover a range of risks, including:

• Data Breach Management: Pays expenses related to the investigation, management, and remediation of an incident, including customer notification, credit check support, and associated legal costs and fines.
• Media Liability: Covers third-party damages such as website vandalism and intellectual property rights infringement.
• Extortion Liability: Reimburses for expenses associated with losses arising from a threat of extortion.
• Network Security Liability: Covers costs connected with third-party damages due to a denial of access and theft of third-party information.

Cyber liability insurance is fairly new so expect a wide divergence of coverage and costs. It may be purchased separately or as a rider to your current business insurance policy. Be prepared to comparison shop to get a better understanding of coverage and costs.

Small business owners might also keep in mind that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” There are steps you can take to protect your business from becoming a cyber victim.

Consider these steps to protect your data.

1. Maintain robust malware detection software and keep existing software updated.
2. Train employees not to open links contained in emails from unknown senders. Research shows that 30% of security-related incidents are caused by internal actors.
3. Encrypt your important data, such as bank account information, customer credit card numbers, etc.
4. Perform a security audit.

As obvious and simple as these precautions may sound, some businesses fall victim to cyber-attacks because of their failure to take them. While this is not an exhaustive list of ways to protect your data, consider it a start in working toward a more secure business.

Sources:

1. SBA.gov, 2021

2. StaySafeOnline,org, 2020

3. National Conferences of State Legislatures, 2020

4. SmallBizTrends.com, 2020

Please remember that different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy, or product made reference to directly or indirectly in this content, will be profitable, equal any corresponding indicated historical performance level(s), or be suitable for you or your portfolio. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this newsletter (article) serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Searcy Financial Services, Inc.

The content of this letter does not constitute a tax or legal opinion. Always consult with a competent professional service provider for advice on tax or legal matters specific to your situation. To the extent that a reader has any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed in this content, he/she is encouraged to consult with the professional advisor of his/her choosing.

Published for the blog on July 30, 2021 by Searcy Financial Services, your Overland Park, Kansas Fee-Only Financial Planner and Investment Manager.