In recent years, the purpose of cyber insurance has evolved. Similar to traditional insurance lines, it used to be that cyber policies were only needed after a crisis struck, to respond to an incident and pay for damages. But fast forward to today and things have changed. More than just responding to an attack, cyber insurance can now offer the right tools and services to proactively identify and mitigate threats—before they turn into an incident and claim.
Introducing proactive cyber attack prevention. As standard with any cyber policy with CFC, this game-changing service works from day one, and throughout the policy period, as a defense tool that helps to keep policyholders ahead of cyber threats.
Proactive cyber attack prevention: What it is and why it’s vital
Cyber security is frequently cited the top threat facing businesses today. The cost of dealing with cyber incidents increases year on year, and ransomware alone is responsible for more than 75% of total cyber losses. In reply, all cyber polices offer decent cyber cover that comes with an experienced incident response service, helping to minimize the impact of cyber events.
But experiencing an event still causes a lot of stress and upheaval. So, what if you didn’t need to go through a cyber incident to reap the benefits of your cyber policy? What if you could utilize it throughout the period, not just when you have an attack? What if you also had a proactive service working behind the scenes to help stop threats before they impact—and remove the need to even make a claim?
That’s what we call proactive cyber attack prevention. Cyber insurance has moved on from a promise to pay to a promise to protect, where we help to safeguard every single CFC cyber policy holder with advanced cyber security services. Independently, hiring these services would cost tens of thousands a year. But they come free with any standalone policy with CFC.
4 proactive techniques to know
So how do we work to proactively protect cyber policyholders?
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Real-time claims data
By analyzing our own claims data for trends, we can identify businesses that are particularly vulnerable to specific threat—and help them take steps to secure their defenses before they’re made a victim.
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Vulnerability scanning
This comes in two different forms, passive and active. Passive scanning is where we scan business networks for known vulnerabilities which can be exploited—like walking past your house to see if a window or door has been left ajar. Whereas active scanning is a more in-depth, like actually walking up to your house to test the security of your doors and windows, to pinpoint areas for businesses to upgrade their defenses.
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Threat intelligence
Through our proprietary data and partnerships with government and private threat intelligence organizations, we receive and review exclusive data that can uncover cybercriminals’ targets and identify which businesses need to take action.
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Threat hunting
Our experts actively search the dark and deep web including chat forums, encrypted apps like Telegram and other secretive channels, to unearth data being traded and discussed by cybercriminals. By keeping an ear to the ground, we can catch wind of exposed vulnerabilities and targeted businesses.
What brings it all together? Our Response app enables us to send real-time, critical threat alerts to policyholders, empowering them to take preventative action. The app also gives businesses instant access to our cyber security team and a range of cyber security tools like phishing simulation and deep scanning.
How proactive cyber benefits businesses
Gone are the days when advanced cyber security measures were just for large corporate businesses. Today, every business, no matter the size, budget or experience, should have access to technical and reliable cyber attack prevention services as part of their cyber insurance policy. It plays a vital part in the quest against cybercrime, and is something every business should look for in a cyber policy. Because prevention is better than a cure, always.
With CFC, proactive cyber services are designed to help businesses sidestep the chaos and cost of cyber incidents entirely, by working to identify threats and vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This can lead to fewer claims, less downtime and a better bottom line. And avoiding the operational disruption and reputational damage of a cyber attack doesn’t just save money—it preserves trust and stability.
What’s more, through the Response app businesses have a direct line to cyber security expertise, whenever they need it. Whether it’s advice on bolstering defenses, guidance on preparing for emerging threats or immediate support to prevent an attack, policyholders gain access to a trusted partner in navigating today’s complex cyber landscape. For businesses without dedicated cyber security teams, this level of expertise can be transformative.
These services start working the moment a business binds their policy, and continue round the clock to provide constant protection. This helps to identify threats and address them in real time, offering peace of mind in a digital world that never sleeps.
Most importantly of all, proactive cyber services are included in a CFC cyber policy at no extra charge. The cost of dealing with a single cyber incident can dwarf the price of premiums, and hiring cyber security expertise can be prohibitively expensive.
Ready to visualize how all the parts of proactive cyber attack prevention come together? Download our new infographic for a simple way to see how it works.
