Cyber Insurance Readiness
Get Covered. Stay Covered.
Stop Paying More Than You Should.
NTG builds and documents the exact technical controls that insurers require: so you qualify, keep coverage, and pay a fair rate for it.
The Problem
Cyber liability insurance has changed dramatically. Five years ago, a business could answer a short application and get a policy. Today, insurers send detailed technical questionnaires, require evidence that specific controls are in place, and decline or significantly limit coverage for businesses that do not meet their standards.
Premiums for businesses without adequate controls have increased 50 to 150 percent in recent years. Many firms are finding that when they actually need to file a claim, coverage is denied because a required control was absent or misrepresented on the application.
First-Time Applicants
We build the controls insurers require before you apply, so you qualify for better coverage at lower premiums from day one.
Premium Increases / Declined
We identify exactly which controls triggered the increase or declination and remediate them before your next renewal.
Currently Insured
We ensure your actual security posture matches what you represented on your application, protecting you when you need to file a claim.
Claim Denials
Why Cyber Insurance Claims Get Denied
The most dangerous cyber insurance problem is not failing to get coverage. It is believing you have coverage you do not actually have.
MFA Was Listed on the Application But Not Fully Implemented
If your application stated MFA was in place but it was not enforced on all systems handling sensitive data, a claim can be denied on grounds of material misrepresentation, even if the breach occurred on an unrelated system.
The Incident Involved an Excluded Category
Many policies exclude coverage for social engineering / wire fraud, nation-state attacks, or incidents involving unpatched systems beyond a certain age. Reading your policy before an incident, not after, is critical.
You Did Not Follow the Required Incident Response Process
Most policies require you to notify the insurer within a specific window (often 72 hours) and engage approved vendors. Using your own forensics firm or attorney without insurer approval can void coverage.
Controls Degraded After the Application Was Filed
If you had MFA and EDR in place when you applied but removed or stopped maintaining them, the policy may be voided at claim time. Insurance requires ongoing compliance, not just compliance at application.
Vendor or Third-Party Access Was the Attack Vector
Many policies limit coverage when a breach originates through a third-party vendor. Without a vendor oversight program, you may have limited recourse even when the breach was not your fault.
Required Controls
What Insurers Require: The Controls That Matter Most
The controls that appear most consistently across major insurer questionnaires. NTG implements and documents every one of them.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
The single most heavily weighted control. Required on email, remote access, privileged accounts, and cloud services. Absence is the top cause of application declination.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
Goes beyond antivirus to detect and contain threats in real time. Insurers distinguish between legacy AV and true EDR. Basic antivirus alone is increasingly insufficient.
Encrypted, Tested Backups
Offline or immutable backups that have been tested for restorability. Insurers want evidence that ransomware recovery does not require paying a ransom.
Email Security and Anti-Phishing
Advanced email filtering, anti-spoofing (DMARC/DKIM/SPF), and phishing simulation training. Business email compromise (BEC) is the leading cause of cyber losses.
Privileged Access Management
Limits and monitors accounts with administrative access. Admin credentials are the primary target in most network intrusions.
Patch Management
Documented process for applying security patches within defined timeframes. Unpatched vulnerabilities are specifically excluded from some policies.
Incident Response Plan
Written, tested plan with defined escalation procedures and insurer notification requirements. Required by most policies as a condition of coverage.
Security Awareness Training
Annual training for all employees with documented completion. Phishing simulation results are increasingly requested at application.
Vendor / Third-Party Risk Management
Inventory of vendors with access to your systems or data, with contractual security requirements. Required to limit exclusions for third-party breach events.
Network Segmentation
Isolation of critical systems from general user networks. Limits the blast radius of a breach and is specifically evaluated for healthcare, financial, and critical infrastructure clients.
Vulnerability Scanning / Pen Testing
Regular scanning for known vulnerabilities and annual penetration testing. Some insurers require documentation of results and remediation timelines.
Premium Drivers
What Drives Your Premium, and What Lowers It
| Factor | Premium Impact | How NTG Addresses It |
|---|---|---|
| No MFA or partial MFA | High: often results in declination or 2-3x premium | NTG deploys and enforces MFA across all systems and documents implementation for the insurer questionnaire. |
| No EDR (legacy AV only) | Moderate to high: increasing each renewal cycle | NTG replaces legacy AV with enterprise EDR, properly configured and monitored 24/7. |
| Untested backups | Moderate: raises ransomware recovery concern | NTG implements encrypted, immutable backups with documented quarterly restoration tests. |
| Industry: healthcare / legal / financial | Higher baseline: regulated industries carry greater data breach exposure | NTG's compliance-specific controls satisfy both regulatory requirements and the elevated insurer standards for these industries. |
| Prior claim history | Significant: especially repeat claims | NTG remediates root-cause vulnerabilities after incidents and documents the remediation for the next renewal application. |
| No incident response plan | Moderate: increases perceived claim cost | NTG develops, maintains, and annually tests a written incident response plan. |
| No security training program | Moderate: phishing is the top attack vector | NTG delivers annual security awareness training with completion tracking and phishing simulation results. |
| Strong documented controls | Significant reduction: 20-40% premium savings are common | NTG provides an evidence package at renewal time documenting all controls in place, giving your broker leverage to negotiate. |
Industries
Cyber Insurance for Compliance-Regulated Industries
Insurers apply elevated scrutiny to healthcare organizations, law firms, financial institutions, and DoD contractors. NTG's vertical-specific expertise means the controls we build satisfy both the regulatory requirement and the insurer requirement simultaneously.
| Industry | Why Insurers Look Harder | NTG Controls That Satisfy Both |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | PHI breach triggers HHS notification, OCR investigation, and significant fines. Healthcare is the most-targeted sector for ransomware. | BAA execution, HIPAA-aligned access controls, EHR infrastructure security, 24/7 monitoring, documented incident response meeting both HIPAA and insurer requirements. |
| Law Firms | Privileged client data, wire transfer fraud risk (BEC), and multi-state breach notification obligations create high-severity claim profiles. | Encrypted email, MFA on DMS and remote access, BEC-specific email controls, role-based file access, incident response aligned to bar notification requirements. |
| Financial Institutions | FTC Safeguards Rule violations compound cyber losses. Financial data commands high value on criminal markets. Wire fraud is a leading coverage dispute. | WISP development, Safeguards Rule technical controls, MFA, encryption, vendor oversight program, and annual pen testing satisfying both FTC and insurer requirements. |
| DoD Contractors | CUI breaches carry national security implications. Nation-state threats are specifically evaluated, and sometimes excluded, by cyber insurers. | CMMC-aligned controls satisfy the most stringent insurer questionnaires. SSP and POA&M documentation directly supports the evidence package insurers request. |
Services
Core Services for Cyber Insurance Readiness
Cyber Insurance Readiness Assessment
Gap analysis of your current environment against major insurer questionnaire requirements. Identifies exactly which controls are missing or underdocumented before you apply or renew.
MFA Deployment and Documentation
Full MFA implementation across email, remote access, cloud services, and privileged accounts, with documentation evidencing complete enforcement for your application.
EDR Implementation and Monitoring
Enterprise endpoint detection and response replacing legacy antivirus, with 24/7 monitoring and documented alerts satisfying insurer EDR requirements.
Backup and Ransomware Recovery Program
Encrypted, immutable backups with tested and documented restoration procedures, providing the ransomware recovery evidence insurers specifically request.
Email Security and BEC Protection
Advanced email filtering, DMARC/DKIM/SPF configuration, and anti-phishing controls addressing business email compromise: the top driver of cyber insurance claims.
Incident Response Plan Development
Written, tested incident response plan that meets insurer policy conditions, including notification timelines and approved vendor coordination.
Security Awareness Training
Annual training with documented completion records and phishing simulation results, increasingly requested by insurers at application and renewal.
Vulnerability Management
Regular vulnerability scanning with documented remediation timelines. Annual penetration testing coordinated with qualified testers and documented for your evidence package.
Vendor Risk Management Program
Vendor inventory and oversight documentation addressing the third-party risk questions on insurer applications.
Renewal Evidence Package
At each renewal, NTG provides a documented summary of all controls in place, giving your broker the evidence needed to negotiate favorable terms.
Post-Incident Remediation
After a claim or near-miss, NTG identifies and remediates root-cause vulnerabilities and documents the remediation for your next renewal application.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Know Exactly Where You Stand Before Your Next Renewal
NTG's no-cost cyber insurance readiness assessment maps your current environment against major insurer requirements. You will see exactly which controls you have, which are missing, and what your risk exposure looks like, before your broker or insurer tells you.