In today’s digital age, businesses are increasingly reliant on technology to operate efficiently. However, this dependence on digital systems also opens new avenues for risk, particularly in the form of cyberthreats. Look no further than the recent news of a global...
Consumers distrust businesses to protect their data—agencies must tackle the issue
Agents face opportunities and minefields in equal measure from the artificial intelligence revolution. No one questions that AI-powered tools can slash the time to perform many agency tasks, but hidden dangers and costs lie just beneath the surface. Two of the biggest...
N.Y.: DFS publishes updated cyber security regulation for comment, PIA offers analysis
The New York State Department of Financial Services published a revised proposed second amendment to 23 NYCRR 500—colloquially referred to as New York’s cyber security regulation. The publication of the revised second amendment comes over six months after the...
Demand for cyberinsurance skyrocketing
As the world becomes accustomed to a sharp increase in major cyberattacks and data breaches, cyber insurance is becoming more popular. Cyberinsurance can protect a business if it is held liable for losses suffered if hackers steal customers’ sensitive data. You can...
Connecticut Convention: Mock cyberattacks, networking
PIACT held its annual Connecticut Convention at the end of March—returning to the Hartford Marriott Downtown. The event featured hundreds of agents, company representatives, exhibitors, and more industry professionals from Connecticut. Excitingly, the Connecticut...
Managing risks with cyber liability policies
On Sept. 8, 2022, Suffolk County, New York, learned a professional hacking group known as BlackCat had gained unauthorized access to over 20 agencies with the county. Everybody from the police forces, to social services, to emergency dispatchers were forced to figure...
N.Y. cyber security certification of compliance filings due by April 15
Those individuals who hold a New York state insurance license (covered entities), including nonresident licensees, have until Saturday, April 15, 2023, to certify their compliance with the requirements of New York state’s cyber security regulation (23 NYCRR 500) for...
Real-life data breaches, experienced by real-life PIA member agents
Small businesses—which can include PIA members—are tempting targets for cyber crooks. They are just as vulnerable to data breaches as big companies, but they have fewer defenses. Members who have walked clients through the cyber claim process or who have been hacked...
Hardbit ransomware attempts to acquire insurance information
Hardbit ransomware emerged in October of 2022 and by November, version 2.0 already had evolved. What’s important to know about Hardbit ransomware is that it attempts to broker ransom payments through its victim’s cyber insurance policies. What is the threat? According...
An explanation multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication is a method of authenticating users on an information system and requires them to go through multiple steps to access that information system. Commonly, this is accomplished through a combination of a username and password, followed by a...