Cyber insurance

Definição

Cyber insurance covers the financial consequences of cyber incidents. Cover typically includes data-breach response costs, business interruption from system outages, liability towards affected parties, and sometimes ransomware and recovery expenses. It is increasingly relevant given GDPR obligations and contractual data-security commitments. Policies often require the insured to maintain baseline security controls and to report incidents without delay.

Exemplo

A SaaS provider's cyber insurer covers forensic, notification and legal costs after a ransomware attack exposes customer data.

Porque é um risco para a empresa

Cyber incidents can generate costs across multiple categories simultaneously: regulatory fines, client claims, business interruption, forensic investigation and reputational damage. A policy that excludes any of these can leave a significant gap. Businesses that accept data-security obligations in contracts without maintaining adequate cyber cover risk a double exposure: the contractual liability and the uninsured cost of the incident response.

Como gerir

• Map your data-security obligations in every contract and verify that your cyber policy covers each of them, including notification costs and regulatory fines where insurable.
• Maintain the minimum security controls required by your insurer (such as multi-factor authentication and patching schedules), as failing to do so can void cover.
• Test your incident-response plan annually and confirm it aligns with the notification timeframes required by both GDPR and your cyber policy.
• Review the policy exclusions carefully: many cyber policies exclude losses arising from prior known vulnerabilities or from acts of your own insiders.

Referências jurídicas

• BW 7:925 Dutch Civil Code: insurance contract Direito neerlandês

Salvo indicação em contrário, as referências remetem para o direito neerlandês (Burgerlijk Wetboek, o Código Civil neerlandês); os instrumentos da UE, como o RGPD, aplicam-se em toda a UE. Esta é informação geral, não constitui aconselhamento jurídico. Outras jurisdições tratam estes conceitos de forma diferente. Verifique o texto em vigor e a sua situação com um advogado qualificado.