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Cyber Defenses and Cyber Insurance: A Holistic Approach to Cyber Risk management

By: Chester Wisniewski, Director Global Field CTO

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Cyber Insurance
Sophos
Sophos

The landscape of cyber threats has significantly expanded in terms of volume, complexity, and impact of attacks over the past few years. Consequently, regardless of their size, industry, or geographic location, the vast majority of companies prioritize protection against these threats and primarily strive to implement robust cyber defense measures to counteract them.

However, given the difficulty of preventing and anticipating all current and future forms of threats, especially the methods attackers use to bypass defenses and introduce ransomware into a system, organizations worldwide also tend to adopt cyber insurance policies to safeguard their operations in the event of a successful intrusion. According to a study conducted in early 2023, 91% of global companies have some form of cyber insurance.” 

If 47% of companies declare having subscribed to an independent insurance policy, and 43% have opted for insurance integrated into broader coverage, independent and integrated cyber policies are the two main types in the market. It is crucial for companies to choose coverage that aligns with their specific needs and risks, ensuring the best possible protection for their data and operations.

Before subscribing to insurance, conducting an audit of existing solutions is essential, questioning whether they benefit from top-notch first-line cybersecurity protection. Indeed, this can impact their access to cyber insurance and the selection of a policy that best suits their particular needs.

The quality of cyber defenses significantly influences corporate coverage. First-line cybersecurity measures can notably affect the adoption and choice of a cyber insurance policy for companies. According to the aforementioned study, 95% of respondents specifically cite that the quality of implemented cyber defenses has a direct impact on the insurance they subscribe to, affecting both the cost and terms of the policy, ensuring access to the coverage that suits them best.”

“According to the study, 60% of organizations with cyber insurance state that the quality of their existing defenses influenced their ability to secure coverage. Furthermore, 62% mention its impact on the policy’s cost, and 28% note its effect on insurance contract terms. Ensuring the most comprehensive and robust protection layer is essential to save money and select insurance that best meets the business’s requirements.

Interestingly, cybersecurity measures play a more significant role in obtaining independent cyber insurance compared to integrated coverage. 71% of those with independent policies note that the quality of their protection influenced their coverage, while only 49% of those with integrated policies believe it impacted their ability to contract cyber insurance. Conversely, the performance of security measures has a greater influence on the cost of integrated policies (67%) than independent insurance (58%).

Therefore, companies should prioritize assessing the effectiveness and robustness of their cybersecurity solutions before seeking cyber insurance tailored to their needs. This approach enables them to select the most appropriate policy and negotiate favorable costs and terms.”

“The importance of cyber insurance in protecting against ransomware

The primary threat facing businesses today has a name: ransomware. This type of malicious software, designed to encrypt and steal organizational data, followed by a ransom demand, has become the top concern for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in recent years.

Given that its introduction into a system can result from highly varied, often unpredictable, and constantly evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP), it is impossible to guarantee that a company will not experience a successful intrusion. Hence, it is crucial for organizations to have, in addition to traditional cybersecurity solutions, a tailored cyber insurance policy that allows them to protect against data encryption, theft, or deletion.

In the event of data encryption, companies with the support and assistance of their insurer during the data recovery process, and those who, to qualify for insurance, have implemented enhanced security measures such as secure backups or incident response plans, are more likely to recover their encrypted data. According to the study, 98% of those with independent cyber insurance successfully restored their encrypted data, compared to 97% for those with integrated coverage, and only 84% for those without insurance.

It’s worth highlighting that beneficiaries of cyber insurance are more inclined to pay the ransom to retrieve their data. Thus, 58% of independent policyholders who fell victim. 

“In conclusion, while cyber insurance is now an essential element of business protection, it is inseparable from the quality of solutions and security measures taken to safeguard information systems and organizational data. It is crucial for global stakeholders, regardless of their industry, to ensure they have the most comprehensive, robust, and effective first-line protection to best guard against ransomware attacks and all other types of threats.

It’s also noteworthy that some managed cybersecurity solution providers offer complementary insurance guarantees in the event of a successful attack to further strengthen business protection. These aspects only reinforce the quasi-symbiotic relationship between cyber insurance and cybersecurity solutions.”

GrassRoots.ng is on a critical mission; to objectively and honestly represent the voice of ‘grassrooters’ in International, Federal, State and Local Government fora; heralding the achievements of political and other leaders and investors alike, without discrimination. This daily, digital news publication platform serves as the leading source of up-to-date information on how people and events reflect on the global community. The pragmatic articles reflect on the life of the community people, covering news/current affairs, business, technology, culture and fashion, entertainment, sports, State, National and International issues that directly impact the locals.

GRTech

The Economics of Product Decisions: Applying Behavioural Economics and Game Theory in PM

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Amarachi Nnochiri
Amarachi Nnochiri

Product managers often need to make a clear-cut decision: what should we build next? But the decisions which hold real importance go beyond adding features.

It’s about getting what makes people tick.

It goes way beyond what you would expect, getting into how people behave and using game theory.

These areas give insight into how users decide and how a product’s design can improve growth and keep people interested.

This is what Amarachi Nnochiri excels at. She is a senior product manager that knows how to use economics and psychology in her job.

She goes beyond simply managing product tasks; she develops whole product systems based on how users think, feel, and use a service. Her background shows how understanding human psychology and behaviour can give you a significant advantage in the competition.

One idea Amarachi uses is  “loss aversion.” In this scenario, people feel worse about losing something than they feel good about gaining something of equal value.

She uses this when designing her products, mostly when it comes to pricing and getting people to try new strategies. For example, instead of giving a free trial, she might use a freemium setup where users get some stuff for free but could lose it if they don’t buy an upgrade. This pushes them to pay.

She might also use progress bars or streak counters, since losing progress gets people to keep using the product.

Amarachi also uses ideas from “game theory” to get how users act and change their behavior. She realizes that users are doing more than operating a product, but are playing a game with other users or with the product itself. She designs things that use ideas like “Nash equilibrium,” where nobody can do better by changing what they’re doing. For a social product, this could mean creating a system where doing something good for yourself (like inviting friends) also helps everyone else. This makes the whole thing stable and positive.

Her know-how in game theory also applies to making strong “network effects.” This means making stuff that gets better as more people use it.

A good example is a social network where each new user makes the product more helpful for everyone else. Amarachi endeavours to make things go viral on purpose, not just by luck.

She might use “commitment devices,” which are things that make a user stick with a behaviour by making them depend on it socially or functionally. For example, inviting team members to a tool makes the user stick with the platform and makes the product’s network stronger.

This way of thinking is better than just following the usual steps. By using these economic and psychological tricks, Amarachi develops competitive advantages which are difficult to replicate.

She knows that a company’s best thing is not just a simple interface, but a product that’s designed to sync with how people behave.

Her product choices aren’t just about the needs of users, but equally focus on motivating them to like the product, use it, and stick with it.

In her work, choosing a subscription price isn’t just a business thing; it’s about behaviour. Designing a social feed isn’t just about the content; it’s about balancing what people want and watching how they interact. Amarachi knows extensively about the economics of product decisions. This makes her products innovative and appealing to human behaviour, which leads to more use, keeps people around, and helps the product grow. She’s a leader in product management, where identifying customer desires is backed by understanding human motivation.

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GRTech

Glo reduces international call rates 

By Sandra Ani

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Glo and Globacom


Technology Company, Globacom, has announced significant reductions in its International Direct Dialing (IDD) rates, making international calls more affordable for its existing and new customers across Nigeria.

Effective August 10, the new rates began applying to over 15 popular international destinations, including United States which will has moved to ₦30 per minute, down from ₦35, United Kingdom is now N350 from ₦400, while India also moved down to ₦40 from N45.

The rates for China, Saudi Arabia and Cameroon however recorded major reduction moving to N75, N300 and ₦700 respectively.


The reduction was also extended to African countries including Benin Republic which goes for ₦650 per minute, Niger Republic ₦750, Ghana ₦500, and Togo ₦650. United Arab Emirates also moved from ₦450 to ₦325, Germany to ₦550, Côte d’Ivoire ₦700, Libya ₦700, while calls to Malawi is now N1,100 from ₦1,200.

Glo aims to provide more value for its customers through these revised rates, encouraging them to make Glo their preferred network for international calls. New IDD bundles will also be introduced, offering frequent international callers even more attractive deals.

Globacom, which remained optimistic that frequent international callers will benefit immensely from the reductions in IDD bundles, enjoined customers to take advantage of the new rates to stay connected with friends and business associates across the globe.

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Oil subsidy removal freed up resources for infrastructure – Enugu Governor 

By Orji Israel, South East Correspondent

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Oil benchmark

The Executive Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has attributed the financing of numerous infrastructure projects embarked by the state government to the oil subsidy removal policy of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.

He made this declaration at the Govermment House, Enugu, during a courtesy visit by a delegation of federal government led by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, as part of activities lined up for the 2-day Citizens’ Engagement Series in the South East geo-political zone.

“For us in Enugu, we are able to accomplish all we promised our people during the campaign, thanks to the bold decision taken by President Bola Tinubu, which has freed up resources needed to execute humongous capital projects,” said Governor, while listing ongoing projects in the state, which include the construction of 7,000 classrooms, 3,300 hospital beds and 2,000-hectare of 260 farm estates across the 260 wards of the state.

Governor Mbah also pledged more support for the policies of the federal government, saying they are in the best interest of the people of the state.

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