Why Cyber Insurance Is Essential for Small Businesses

Small Business, Big Target

According to the Coalition study, 43% of cyberattacks are directed at small businesses. Why? Smaller organizations typically have fewer security resources, weaker or outdated infrastructure, and limited dedicated IT staff. Hackers are aware of these vulnerabilities and exploit them. The result can be devastating, from system shutdowns to stolen data, reputational damage, customer distrust, and six-figure losses.

Every Business Collects Sensitive Data

Many small businesses often mistakenly assume they’re not at risk because they don’t store credit card or protected health information (PHI). But even something as simple as a customer database with names, email addresses, and phone numbers can be a gold mine for cybercriminals. In some cases, it’s not even client data that’s stolen but employee information, such as Social Security numbers and tax records. For example, one business had its employee data stolen and used to file fraudulent tax returns, with refunds claimed before the employees were even aware of the issue.

Consider the Cost of Business Interruption

A cyberattack can also disrupt a business’s operations for days or even weeks. For small businesses that rely on daily transactions or customer-facing services, the financial toll of downtime can be crippling without the right policy in place.

Ransomware: A Growing Threat

Ransomware is also increasing among smaller organizations, which are being deliberately targeted due to their lack of robust security infrastructure and IT staff. In fact, 60% of small businesses that experience a ransomware attack close within six months due to the combined impact of recovery costs, reputational damage, and lost business.

It’s Not Just Hackers—It’s Human Error

Not all cyber incidents come from outside. Internal threats, whether from malicious insiders or simple employee mistakes, can also result in serious breaches. Clicking a phishing link or mishandling data can open the door to attackers.

The Need for Cyber Insurance

To protect against the devastating cost of a cyberattack, small businesses should incorporate cyber insurance as part of their comprehensive risk management portfolio. Even a modest breach can be costly. One small business cyber claim involving just 11,000 personal records resulted in a $1.1 million payout, primarily due to regulatory fines and class action settlements.

What Does Cyber Insurance Cover?

Cyber insurance helps businesses recover from a range of threats, including data breaches, ransomware attacks, and system shutdowns. Coverage typically includes:

• First-party losses, including the costs of internal forensic investigations, data recovery, business interruption, and ransomware payments
• Third-party losses, including legal defense, regulatory fines, class action settlements, and customer notification and remediation (like credit monitoring)
• Crisis management, including PR support and call center setup to help affected individuals

Mitigating Risk Is Critical

It’s important to note when you’re seeking insurance coverage, in addition to looking at a business’s risk, insurance carriers also want to know what risk-mitigation measures are in place. To qualify for cyber coverage, many insurers now ask whether a business:

• Conducts regular data backups that are encrypted, stored securely and regularly tested for viability
• Has dedicated, qualified IT staff or consultants and have a well written, tested and updated incident response plan which includes key internal and expert personnel that will be engaged immediately upon discovery of potential incident
• Uses multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all devices and access to all systems and applications, especially for elevated privileges and service accounts
• Trains employees to detect phishing and malware attempts and requires remedial training to reduce likelihood of recurrence; ideally, a good phishing program should encourage self-reporting of suspicious emails and texts and should promote a culture that all employees are in the business of protecting the company.

These safeguards are just a few critical measures that help prevent attacks and help reduce the cost of impact as well as demonstrating to underwriters that the business makes cyber security a priority.

Cyber Insurance Is No Longer an Option

Every business, regardless of its size or industry, is vulnerable to a cyberattack. Today’s threats are scalable, sophisticated, and aimed at the underprepared. With the right insurance and risk controls in place, small businesses can face those threats with confidence.

Cyber insurance provides critical financial protection in the event of an unexpected incident and signals to clients, vendors, and regulators that your business takes security seriously.