The ALS Group Risk Management Articles

As it stands today securing a cyber liability policy is almost mandatory for organizations who store any client/customer related data or connect to the internet… which is almost everyone at this point. However, when a cyber breach or related claim occurs, looking to your traditional policies to provide coverage may be worthwhile.

You thought everything was in its right place. Firewalls are properly configured, systems are patched on a scheduled basis, anti-virus is up-to-date… but something has gone wrong and your network has been breached. Your employee or customer’s Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) has been taken, or worse, been made public…but what happens next?

Ransomware strikes. Your critical data files have been encrypted and your business grinds to a halt. You have the choice to spend countless hours rebuilding from backups (if you were diligent enough to ensure they will work) or you can pay the perpetrator to unlock your files. This is the scenario many, many firms and individuals are facing now that ransomware is spreading like wildfire through malicious emails, “malvertising” campaigns and exploit kits.

Ransomware seems to be everywhere and is one of the latest cyber crime tactics being utilized by cyber criminals to extort money from companies. This malicious code can lock or encrypt your network files or PC until a hefty fee is paid. It can infect your PC, server, network files, and or backup systems and can enter your network through an infected email attachment, downloaded file, or a vulnerability in a network service.