For those of us in the cyber insurance industry, the close of 2009 and beginning of 2010 has been an exciting–and disquieting–time. The news has been saturated with reports of data breaches and cyber war scenarios. Clear public examples of cyber crime abound. In addition to news accounts, on a personal level most people are aware of, and may have even personally experienced, cyber crime. Most of us have received at least one data breach notification letter, informing us that our data has been exposed, and often offering credit monitoring or other services.

People everywhere are realizing that the Internet, so much a part of daily life at work and home that we take it for granted, is neither safe nor secure. We love the convenience of instant communication and information access, and we are not willing to stop using the Internet. But there is a significant dark side to this marvelous tool, and all businesses and individuals need to take steps to secure sensitive computerized information.

Any computer connected to the Internet is vulnerable to data thieves, just as every building is vulnerable to fire. Yet businesses that would not leave sensitive data in their reception areas fail to secure sensitive information that is computerized. Similarly, businesses that insure against fire losses fail to consider their cyber risks. As part of their renewals checklist, insurance agents and brokers may want to consider data security and other cyber risks, both for their clients and their own agencies.