Cornell Insurance Blog

Cyber Liability and Tips For Avoiding Hackers

Posted by Cornell Insurance Services on Sep 10, 2015 12:00:00 PM

cyber_liability

As the new world develops and becomes more reliant on the evolution of technology, the function of companies has forever changed. However, due to the fact that many companies rely on technology and the internet for support in being able to be successful in today’s day and age it also allows for a new kind of thief to arise. This thief being what is called a Cyber Hacker. This has been an ongoing issue that has been occurring therefore The Obama Administration has been dealing with cleaning up the huge data breach of federal employees’ personal data. While they are still trying to repair the damage the hackers imposed on them, companies need to understand that attacks, such as cyber hacks, are very common.

In a new study from The Hartford, more than one in four mid-sized businesses say they have experienced a data breach in the past three years. 43% of businesses have experienced a data breach and 82% consider a data breach to be at least a minor risk to their business. The Ponemon Institute reported in May, 20% of the businesses have Cyber Insurance. So where does your company fall?

Healthcare facilities need to use extra precautions with highly sensitive patient information, which allows such facilities to be a leading target in cyber hacking. Ponemon Institute’s report found “More than 90% of healthcare organizations have suffered at least one data breach exposing patient data over the past two years, while 39% had been hit by two- to five breaches, and 40% had suffered more than five breaches during that timeframe. Security incidents (without an actual data breach) occurred at 78% of healthcare organizations.”

Therefore, many companies are investing in cyber liability insurance. Briefly, cyber insurance helps pay for expenses associated with responding to a breach, defense costs and any awards, settlements or judgements a business is legally obligated to pay resulting from a breach incident.

Companies need cyber insurance to protect not only their company’s reputation but their customers as well. Taking proper precautions will prevent companies from falling victim to cyber-attacks.

Tips To Prevent Cyber Hacking

  1. Log out of all your accounts. You brought work home with you and you’re working off your laptop. At the end of the night, you decide to get some sleep and just close your laptop but just because your laptop is closed doesn’t mean you’re accounts are closed too. Leaving your sites open leaves you vulnerable for a hacker to easily access you. Powering down your computer will also help prevent a hack.
  2. Update your password often. It’s good practice updating your passwords often and making them complex (at least quarterly). This means upper and lower case letters, numbers and our favorite, symbols! With the digital age among us, it is very easy for hackers to find out any basic information we possess such as names, birth dates, pet names… anything!
  3. Use secure Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi networks are easy entry points into your computer, accounts and networks. Make sure your main Wi-Fi is password protected. But you’re at Starbucks using their free Wi-Fi? Make sure you have proper security software installed and up to date on your computer.
  4. Don’t click on unknown emails. Just because you won a free Caribbean cruise doesn’t mean it doesn’t come at a cost. The cost will ultimately be all the information on your computer. This rule dates back to AOL times. Just don’t.
  5. Secure downloads. This means, don’t download free music from a site you don’t know or trust. It’s a quick way for hackers to tap into your system and gather all your personal information.

Business_Cyber_Hacking_Infographic

Topics: Cyber Liability