Cyber Insurance

Cyber Insurance helps protect businesses against a variety of digital risks they may face. It does this not only by supporting financially if a business experiences a cyber incident such as a cyber attack or data breach, but also by providing necessary and timely access to expertise such as legal and IT specialists to help respond and recover quickly and effectively. 

Any business which either relies on IT software (including basic tools such as email and the internet) or uses data is at risk of a cyber incident. These can happen to businesses of all sizes, but smaller businesses especially are less likely to have resources or capabilities to prevent and respond to them effectively. Cyber Insurance is an essential product to safeguard your livelihood from online threats, no matter your size. 

Even if you think your risk is low, risks can arise from the use of or reliance on a variety of common digital assets and services: 

• Laptops and desktop computers 
• WiFi networks and routers 
• Servers / data storage 
• Operating systems 
• Software applications 
• Employee data 
• Customer data 
• Confidential business data 
• Websites 
• Ecommerce solutions 
• Electronic point of sale systems (epos) 
• Operational technology 
• Internet connected devices (internet of things) 

In the modern world, farms of all sizes increasingly rely on technology to run their operations successfully. Whether that’s through major diversification or simply having access to the internet, almost all farms will have an element of exposure that could put their livelihood at significant risk.  
 
Here are some examples of IT use by farmers that cyber criminals could exploit: 

• Online VAT and tax returns 
• Internet banking 
• Emails and WhatsApp chats 
• Online systems for subsidies or grant applications and farmer support payments 
• Online cattle movement records (digital cattle passports) 
• Ordering materials 
• Utilities and supplier access and control 
• Technology such as cameras and light sensors to protect the farm 
• Sheds, livestock units and anaerobic digesters that are online 
• Connected vehicles 
• Farm management software 
• Robotics and automation, particularly in the dairy sector 
• Feeding, watering, heating, ventilation, light levels and temperature systems for housed animals and produce 
  Payroll systems 
• Systems for risk management and health and safety 
• Linked third party organisations that could be hacked 

Our expert Agents will take the time to get to know you and your business, and will quote based on your individual needs. The cost of this will vary depending on industry, size, risk exposure and level of protection required. 

Unfortunately, a cyber incident needs more than just system restoration. As a minimum, specialist digital forensic analysis and expert legal support is routinely needed to ensure a situation is dealt with effectively, compliantly and in a timely manner. IT providers are unlikely to be equipped to deal with the complexities of a cyber incident, nor can they support with the financial, legal or reputational demands that may occur. 

IT security cannot prevent all cyber incidents. The vast majority of attacks are as a result of human error such as a user clicking on a link in a phishing email, visiting a malicious website or accidentally sending data to the wrong recipient. 
 
Software errors and misconfigurations also give rise to technology vulnerabilities, which are frequently discovered by attackers before software developers or IT departments.