Latest Cyber Headlines

All the headlines from our Cyber Topic Page, ordered by recency.

U.S. Charges Four Chinese Military Hackers in Huge Equifax Data Breach in 2017

Feb 11 2020 // The United States has charged four Chinese military hackers in the 2017 breach of the Equifax credit reporting agency that affected nearly 150 million American citizens, Attorney General William Barr said on...

Maryland Cybersecurity Bill Would Set Defense Plan for Local Agencies

Feb 11 2020 // A new Maryland bill would ask the state’s Department of Information Technology to develop a baseline plan for localities within the state to help battle cyber attacks. Senate bill 120, introduced by Sen. Susan Lee,...

Another Federal Circuit Finds Phishing Loss Covered Under Crime Policy

Feb 11 2020 // Companies of all sizes have fallen victim to attacks whereby fraudsters will use deceptive communications, such as spoofed emails, to trick an employee into transferring money into the fraudsters’ control. While...

How Brokers Stay Relevant? Be Nimble With Your Value Props

Feb 10 2020 // Commercial brokers, the future is bright. As you contend with an increasingly automated, digitally-enhanced insurance industry, rest assured your expertise remains valuable for your clients. That is, if you can adapt to...

Germany’s HDI Group Acquires Cyber Specialist Perseus

Feb 6 2020 // The HDI Group has acquired Berlin-based Perseus Technologies GmbH, a start-up that has specialized in the prevention of cyber risks and emergency cyber assistance. The acquisition enables the Hannover-based HDI Group to...

Hospital’s Ransomware Attack Exposes New Risk for Muni-Bond Issuers

Feb 6 2020 // Hackers have finally done what bond issuers may have feared most from cyber criminals. A ransomware attack on Pleasant Valley Hospital in West Virginia was partly responsible for the hospital’s breach of its covenant...

AXA XL Appoints Benet as Global Chief Underwriting Officer for Cyber

Feb 5 2020 // To help manage its cyber risk portfolio worldwide, AXA XL has named Elizabeth Benet to the newly-created role of global chief underwriting officer for Cyber. Benet will help the insurer monitor its cyber risk portfolio and...

Aon Acquires Canadian Cyber Security Firm Cytelligence

Feb 4 2020 // Insurance broker Aon reported it has acquired Cytelligence Inc., a Canadian-based cyber security firm that provides incident response advisory, digital forensic expertise, security consulting services and cyber security...

Judge Finds Ransomware Damage to Computer a ‘Direct Physical Loss’

Jan 30 2020 // State Auto Property and Casualty Insurance Co. is liable for the cost of replacing a computer server that was damaged and perhaps permanently compromised by a ransomware attack despite the carrier’s argument that the...

European Insurers Balk at EU Raising Capital Requirements Due to Cyber, Climate Risks

Jan 30 2020 // Insurers in Europe may need to put aside money to protect their policyholders should they become insolvent, and regulators should be able to be shut them down swiftly without the need for taxpayer bailouts, a top EU...

Travelex’s UK Money Transfer and Wire Services Operational After Ransomware Attack

Jan 29 2020 // Travelex’s UK international money transfer service and wire offering is fully operational again, it said on Tuesday, almost a month after a crippling ransomware attack forced staff to use pen and paper to calculate...

Cyber Attacks in Europe, Middle East Could Be Work of Turkey-Sponsored Hackers

Jan 27 2020 // Sweeping cyber attacks targeting governments and other organizations in Europe and the Middle East are believed to be the work of hackers acting in the interests of the Turkish government, three senior Western security...

The Battle Over Agency Data

Jan 27 2020 // New regulations, insurer pressure and growing consumer alarm about online security will force agents to act this year to protect their data from unfettered use by third-party vendors. The NAIC Insurance Data Security Model...

Nukes, Cyber, Climate Change: World Now at 100 Seconds to Midnight

Jan 23 2020 // It’s 100 seconds to midnight. Nuclear war, cyber threats and climate change are putting the world in more danger than it has been in over at least the last 70-plus years. The hands of the Doomsday Clock are now...

Major Cyber Attacks of 2019 Seen via Infographic from Cyber Risk Modeling Firm Kovrr

Jan 23 2020 // With the number of cyber attacks on the rise, it’s natural to think that this increase of cyber attacks is due to new actors and technological developments, said Yakir Golan, the CEO of Kovrr, the Tel Aviv-based...

Insurtech Firm CyberCube Calls on Insurers to Set Global Cyber-Security Standards

Jan 22 2020 // CyberCube, an insurtech focused on cyber risk analytics, is calling on the insurance industry to set global cyber-security standards as the world digitizes. “Internet-connected technologies is a prime opportunity for...

Ransomware Exposure Driving Up Cyber Insurance Costs

Jan 22 2020 // U.S. insurers are ramping up cyber-insurance rates by as much as 25% and trying to curb exposure to vulnerable customers after a surge of costly claims, industry sources said. The changes follow a challenging year of...

Virginia House Committee Tackles Consumer Protections, Cybersecurity

Jan 21 2020 // In one of the more modern meeting rooms at the over two centuries old State Capitol, 22 lawmakers gather on Mondays to confront the increasing cybersecurity threats looming over Virginia residents. This session the House...

Forex Firm Travelex Resumes Customer-Facing Operations After Ransomware Attack

Jan 17 2020 // More than two weeks after a crippling ransomware attack forced Travelex staff to use pen and paper to calculate foreign currency exchanges, the company said the first of its customer-facing systems in Britain was up and...

Christmas Ransomware Attack Hit New York Airport Servers

Jan 15 2020 // An upstate New York airport and its computer management provider were attacked by ransomware over Christmas, officials said. Officials at the Albany County Airport Authority announced Thursday that the attack came to light...