CYBER INSURANCE
“ Hybrid working has been widely adopted and is not going away any time soon . As a result , businesses have become more vigilant to the threats of this model ”
FABIEN RECH SVP & GM EMEA , TRELLIX
both sides become increasingly desperate , the risk increases that this cyber warfare expands to smaller and less obvious targets .
“ Although state-sanctioned attacks might appear to be a risk mainly for government bodies and large corporations , the farreaching nature of supply chains mean that hackers are increasingly targeting smaller organisations further down the pecking order to try and gain access to larger targets or causes ,” Akhtar says . “ With attacks on healthcare providers and schools being reported , it ’ s clear that nothing is off the table when it comes to potential targets .”
Rech continues : “ Critical infrastructure continues to be a key target for statesanctioned cybercriminals , as the impact of a successful attack can be particularly widespread and disruptive . In fact , in Q1 this year , we saw energy , oil and gas have the most detected attacks , whereas in Q4 2022 , transport and shipping was the sector most impacted by these types of attacks .
“ These disruptions are not only an effort to destabilise individual states , but they also have an impact on the wider global economy . As such , the impact can extend beyond borders and reverberate across different industries . It ’ s now crucial for businesses across all industries to bolster their defences if they are to successfully defend against sophisticated attacks .”
The fallacy of being ‘ too small to be a target ’ Indeed , the very nature of cyber insurance cover , with its annual premiums and renewals , means that planning in the moment instead of planning for the future puts you at an inevitable disadvantage . Few organisations can afford to assume that they won ’ t become a target in 6-12 months ’ time , and the nature of your business ’ risk might have evolved by then anyway .
Mark Hunter , Chief Financial Officer at Red Helix , explains : “ For enterprises considering taking out cyber insurance as an additional safeguard , or for those looking at renewing their policy over the next few years , this means not only being aware of the requirements for cyber insurance now but also thinking ahead and considering what they may need in the near future .”
“ We have also seen some other threats rising to the fore ,” Akhtar continues . “ Supply chain attacks have become enough of a threat – particularly for managed service providers – that governments across the world have moved to issue warnings and develop processes to try and counter the risk .”
90 September 2023