In the past few weeks, ransomware criminals
claimed as trophies at least three North
American insurance brokerages that offer
policies to help others survive the very network-
paralyzing, data-pilfering extortion attacks they
themselves apparently suffered.
Cybercriminals who hack into corporate and
government networks to steal sensitive data
for extortion routinely try to learn how much
cyber insurance coverage the victims have.
Knowing what victims can afford to pay can
give them an edge in ransom negotiations. The
cyber insurance industry, too, is a prime target
for crooks seeking its customers’ identities and
scope of coverage.