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Redazione RHC : 5 December 2025 08:34
Cyber insurance has become a topic of discussion on management committees. It’s no longer an add-on, but rather an essential consideration in corporate risk management.
Yet many companies rely on a security net that can fail just when they need it most—not because of advanced attacks, but because of fundamental flaws that remain unresolved.
Cybersecurity insurance policies are designed to mitigate the financial impact of an incident, but they aren’t a blank check. In practice, many companies receive only partial payments or even have their claims rejected.
The reason is usually a failure to meet the minimum controls required by the insurer: multi-factor authentication, patch management, credential hygiene, and documented response plans.
If these measures are absent or not applied consistently, coverage weakens.
While headlines focus on espionage or state actors, the data tells a different story. According to Verizon’s DBIR 2025 report, 22% of breaches began with credential misuse, 20% resulted from unpatched vulnerabilities, and 16% from phishing attacks.
Meanwhile, incidents involving espionage or data destruction accounted for just 2% of the total, according to IBM X-Force. The reality is clear: most attacks are simple, opportunistic, and exploit vulnerabilities that should have been fixed long ago.
The cycle repeats itself all too often: a company purchases cyber insurance, feels protected, and shifts its focus to “advanced” threats. Over time, basic controls become inconsistently applied or neglected. When a breach occurs due to a fundamental vulnerability, the insurer may deny payment due to noncompliance. The result is a false sense of security that masks a lack of operational discipline.
Insurance companies are becoming increasingly rigorous. Simply stating that controls exist is no longer sufficient : they now require ongoing proof that these controls are in place and functioning. This applies not only to the initial contract signing, but also to renewals and after a claim . If the company’s actual maturity level does not match that indicated in the policy , coverage may be reduced or canceled.
The good news is that these cyber threats are preventable, but prevention requires consistency. Continuous monitoring of leaked credentials allows for intervention before unauthorized access occurs. Responding to phishing can no longer be limited to training; it must include identifying and removing fraudulent domains and fake profiles.
When it comes to patch management, it is crucial to prioritize vulnerabilities with active exploits rather than focusing solely on volume.
Cyber insurance reflects a company’s security posture: it rewards maturity and penalizes inertia. It doesn’t replace operational discipline or cover unresolved structural weaknesses .
If an organization relies on cyber insurance to absorb the impact of a cyber attack, it must first ensure it adheres to the controls that make such coverage valid. Because in cyber security, what really makes the difference is never the policy itself, but basic hygiene.
Perhaps all this isn’t clear to many. But it’s important to pause and understand that cyber insurance is a good parachute. But if you’re unable to land, everything can be ruined.
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