The Cyber Insurance Readiness Checklist

The cyber insurance application used to be a page of yes-or-no questions. Now it's a security review, and the answers you give become part of the policy.

That cuts both ways. Get the controls right and the premium comes down. Answer "yes" to something that's only partly true, and the cover you paid for may not be there when you need to claim.

This checklist helps you get ready before you apply or renew, and keep it true in between.

What's in it

• 22 controls in six areas: sign-in and access, backups and recovery, devices and patching, email, people and payments, watching and responding, and suppliers and data. Each one shows what insurers want to see, the red flag, and boxes to tick Yes, Partly or No.
• The score: a summary by area, and the one to fix first in each.
• The evidence to keep: the 12 reports and records insurers ask for, and want to see after a claim.
• Filling in the application: why "yes" means everywhere, who should check the answers, and how to explain a gap.
• Questions to ask your broker: exclusions, the smaller limits inside the main one, lost business, who you have to use, and how fast you must report.
• If something happens: who to call first, what not to touch, and why you shouldn't pay a ransom without the insurer.
• Getting ready: a three-month plan before renewal, and a page for your gaps and the plan for each.

Who it's for

Owners, CEOs and finance leaders buying or renewing cyber insurance, and the IT leads and providers who have to answer the technical questions.

It pairs with Security Basics for Executives, for the controls themselves, and The Incident Response Plan, for the day you need to use the policy.

It's a practical checklist, not legal or insurance advice. Every policy is different, so check yours, and its application, with your broker.

It's a 4-page PDF, made to print and write on.

Want them all? The Complete Collection has every guide in the store in one download, for less than a third of the price.