Cybercrimes Archives - The Reschini Group

The Reschini Blog: Cybercrime Impacts All Industries

Working in IT today is like running a marathon sprint.

Not only do the digital professionals need to keep their systems and users running smoothly at a baseline level, they also need to stay up-to-date on new applications and software packages and how they could be used to advance the growth of their organizations.

And then there’s the ever-present specter of cybercrime – an unending and constantly expanding web of innovative and malicious attempts to steal information, hold data for ransom, and generally take control of the digital identity of companies. What’s worse, no industry is immune to these dark forces, who can wreak havoc and extort enormous financial damages.

According to the Pittsburgh Technology Council, most CEO surveys rank cybersecurity threats as a top-five risk, regardless of industry type. CEOs care about data breaches and ransomware attacks because those attacks have become so common, regardless of organizational size or IT staff experience. Furthermore, CEOs know that a ransomware infection or a data breach can put the very life of their organizations at risk.

IT teams have trouble keeping a current and standardized set of security best practices, because to do so – with proper patches and policies amid a continuously changing environment – is time consuming, expensive, and downright difficult. One solution comes in the form of enterprise cloud infrastructure platforms, which offer a secure-by-default cloud experience with best-in-class security features incorporated from the start.

Using advanced tools like this can free internal IT staffs, since they only need to work with the cloud infrastructure provider to select and configure features most relevant to the organization’s needs and vulnerabilities. Those IT professionals can then spend their time more efficiently, working on strategic projects while reducing exposure to cybersecurity issues.

Keeping the bad guys at bay online doesn’t have to be a marathon sprint, where the best efforts simply can’t keep running at full capacity. You can bring your cybersecurity exposure under better control, thereby improving your insurance coverage against losses.

The experts at The Reschini Group can provide specific guidance in this area. Contact us today to learn more.

The Reschini Group provides these updates for information only, and does not provide legal advice. To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.

The Reschini Blog: The Scope of Cybercrime

“Cybercriminals and certain foreign nations are not only at the door; they are inside our walls, and often have been for quite some time. Defending our most valuable information should be of paramount importance for our citizens, businesses, and academic institutions.” – Matt LaVigna, President and CEO, National Cyber Forensics Training Alliance (NCFTA).

While the fact of cybercrime can hardly be news, the scope of it recently made worldwide news, as multiple departments across the federal government were discovered to have been infiltrated by foreign actors, sometimes for months before being detected. In that time, untold volumes of sensitive documents impacting U.S. homeland security, relations with countries around the world, financial and diplomatic secrets, and much more may have been compromised, perhaps permanently.

The same dynamic impacts businesses of all sizes, across all industries and locations. Malicious actors with an abundance of skill and lack of ethics can many times forge their way into an organization’s cyber presence. Their ability to monetize information can be just as shocking in its effectiveness as the way they break codes and seize data.

The NCFTA reports that, while cybercrime is a relatively underreported event, consider that over the last five years, the Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 1.7 million complaints and, in 2019 alone, reported losses exceeding $3.5 billion.

The coronavirus pandemic’s impact on cybersecurity may be that, as pressure increases on budgets as companies recover, resources dedicated to cyber protection get reduced. Sharing information among peers about cybersecurity best practices helps, as do specific tactics to protect software, hardware, employee activities, regular backups and encryptions.

But not to be forgotten in this collection of cybercrime defense is having adequate and appropriate insurance coverage. As the types and levels of potential damage from cybercrime can vary, so do the insurance options available to organizations.

The professionals at The Reschini Group can assist you in evaluating your exposure to cybercrime, and in fashioning a coverage package that keeps you and your organization safe. Because the threat is everywhere, and growing.

Unabated: Current Cybersecurity Trends

It’s such an obvious question, but one that bears repeating: Does your business have adequate contingency plans in the case of a cyberattack?

From malware and loss of data to reputational damage, the fallout from an attack could harm your business significantly, and from a number of different and distinct directions – not the least of which is business interruption and the major loss of income it could represent.

Here are a few of the most common cyberattacks seen in 2019 and continuing so far this year, according to FounderShield*:

Malware Attack – When a cybercriminal installs malicious software in your system without your consent, wreaking havoc on your daily business operations.

Phishing Attack – When a cybercriminal sends fraudulent communications via email that may seem legitimate—typically appearing from a trusted source—but instead is meant to install malware or trick people into handing out personal and sensitive information.

Man-in-the-Middle Attack – When a cyberattacker stealthily slips into your system between a two-party transaction, such as public Wi-Fi, interrupting your traffic by installing malware, giving the cybercriminal plenty of time and space to steal your information.

Denial-of-Service Attack – When used by competitors, Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks overtake your networks to drain your resources and bandwidth by stopping your system from fulfilling authorized requests—from clients or customers, for example.

SQL Injection Attack – When a cyberattacker uses malicious code to force your Structured Query Language (SQL) servers into divulging sensitive information, potentially modifying your data, administrative operations, or operating system.

Mitigating such data breaches requires substantial costs in notifying customers, providing credit-monitoring services, restoring files and computer systems, dealing with lawsuits, and paying regulatory fines, all of which create additional financial losses following the cyberattack. A cyberattack could also put your reputation at risk. While plenty of trustworthy companies experience breaches, such an episode erodes a brand’s image of security and trust.

The threat from cyberattacks continues unabated, so make sure you’re adequately protected with cybersecurity insurance. Talk with the professionals at The Reschini Group to learn more.

* https://foundershield.com/cyber-insurance-trends-2020/

Not Quite Enough: General Liability Insufficient for Cyber Coverage

Take a look at your business’ general liability insurance policy, and you’ll probably see a reference to property damage. To the uninitiated, that sounds like it covers a multitude of potential events – even an online hack or attack, right?

Wrong. Seriously wrong.

Cyber liability insurance is not automatically included in a general liability policy. Cyber liability insurance, priced and purchased as its own policy, can pay for expenses if a small business suffers a data breach or malicious software attack, including customer notification, credit monitoring, legal fees, and fines.

According to Insureon.com, when criminals infiltrate a network, steal data, or hold data hostage, the business they steal from could be held liable. A data breach at a small business can end up costing thousands of dollars in customer notification expenses, legal fees, and fines or settlements. In fact, the average cost of a small business data breach is $86,500, according to the Internet security firm Kaspersky Labs. The coverage included in cyber liability insurance pays these costs, allowing your company to survive a breach.

And don’t assume that hackers won’t come after small businesses. A recent report by Verizon found that 61% of all cyberattacks hit small businesses, and that those attacks often succeed because small businesses are less likely to have a strong defense.

Cyber liability insurance is key for companies that handle sensitive information, work in the cloud, operate in cybersecurity, or typically handle:.

Credit card or bank account information
Medical information
Social Security or driver license numbers
Customer names, email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses
Cybersecurity for other businesses

Contact the professionals at The Reschini Group to learn more about fashioning an appropriate cyber liability insurance package for your business. Your existing general liability policy may not be quite enough.

Protecting Sensitive Data: Cyber Insurance for Real Estate Businesses

The process of selling and purchasing real estate can be arduous enough. Think about all of the highly sensitive and personal data that gets revealed and transferred – financial statements, tax returns, Social Security numbers, and more.

Then think of the bonanza a cyber criminal would reap from tapping into that cornucopia of information. Cyber insurance quickly becomes a vital component of the real estate business’ arsenal.

According to insurance industry sources, cyber liability insurance helps real estate agents, commercial landlords, and other real estate professionals pay for expenses associated with data breaches. If a cybersecurity breach would occur, a cyber liability policy could provide coverage for:

Notifying clients or customers about the breach.
Good-faith advertising or public relations campaigns to restore reputation.
Credit monitoring services for affected clients.
Cyber extortion demands.
Attorney’s fees.
Court costs.
Settlements or judgments.

Real estate businesses regularly handle sensitive customer data and perform sizeable transactions. Should any of this electronically transmitted data get stolen or otherwise compromised, customers are immediately placed at risk of theft – including identity theft – and could file suit against the real estate business.

There is absolutely no reason to remain open to such exposure. Contact the team of professionals at The Reschini Group for information on how we can fashion a cyber liability package for your organization.

It CAN Happen To You: Cybersecurity Claims Impacting All Levels of Business

The market for cybersecurity coverage remains competitive, and more business owners have decided to invest in insurance policies to protect from hackers and malware. That’s the good news.

But the risk still outweighs the precautions taken, according to insurance industry watchers – and that’s the bad news. Not enough clients are adopting the coverage, especially when proof continues to pile up that no organization is safe from a cyber event.

A 2019 Cyber Readiness Report from specialty provider Hiscox found that 53% of U.S. businesses reported a cyber attack in the previous 12 months, from 38% the previous year. In all, 45% of those companies experienced three or more attacks in the past year. Yet 27% of firms have no plans to adopt cyber insurance, according to the report.

Considering the potentially devastating cost of recovering from a cyber attack, that statistic becomes especially alarming. According to McAfee’s 2018 Economic Impact of Cybercrime Report, the global cost of cybercrimes is estimated to be between $445 billion and $600 billion. But less than 20% of all businesses have purchased cyber insurance. That rate continues to increase, but not nearly to the degree to guard against harm to the level of exposure that remains.

Adopting a line of thinking that “It won’t happen to me” may be the biggest mistake of all, according to industry experts. Business owners who only think of cyber attacks in terms of data breaches miss the other risks that exist, including extortion and business interruption – all of which represent serious and costly issues that need to be addressed through coverage.

The team at The Reschini Group can help put together the best package of cyber protection coverage for your business, regardless of size, scope, or industry. Contact us to learn more.