You've been hacked: or have you? The sad fact is that out of the over 100 insurance companies hacked each year, many of them don't realize it until months down the line. When you're in the insurance business, you need to safeguard your business information and your clients' information as well. What are some signs to watch for?
Should You Worry About Hacking That You Can't See?
If a data breach is invisible to your business, should you worry about it? Certainly: hacking might seem invisible, but once it becomes visible to your clients and to the general public, it can cause serious damage to your reputation, financial damage if you get sued, and even the firing of those responsible for the breach, according to Entrepreneur. Your clients could suffer the loss of their data or financial damage due to hacking.
Signs You Have Been Hacked
If you've been hacked, there could be obvious signs or there could be few signs at all. You could receive a ransom message stating that your data has been taken hostage. You could also see fake messages such as antivirus messages that seem to be protecting your computer but are actually signs that it has been compromised. Your clients or work colleagues could receive messages from you that contain a virus or contain realistic-looking invitations to social media websites.
Other signs of hacking are easy to miss. You could have unwanted toolbars that look like they are intentional or helpful. You might see popup ads that mystify you but are actually signs of hacking rather than annoying popups from the website that you were visiting. You could also see new software on your computer and wonder where it came from, or you could have trouble with your password or with your mouse and assume that it's not working properly. If you work in a place where other people are responsible for some of your technology, then it's easy to assume that someone else has been working with your computer and installing helpful fixes. Instead, you've actually been hacked.
What Happens After You've Been Hacked
You could also get tipped off about hacking by the fact that you see unexplained charges on your bills. Worse, your clients could experience the same and ask you about the charges. According to CSO, you could also get calls from stores complaining that you haven't paid for goods, even though you didn't order them in the first place.
What Do You Need to Do?
To make sure that you don't get hacked in the first place, make sure that you have excellent, updated virus software and employee training. Employees need to know that they should avoid clicking on links in suspicious emails or accepting those fake LinkedIn requests. They also need to know the signs of hacking so that everyone can be alert and avoid further damage.
You need to have a technical support system in place. Whether this is an individual who works at your agency and who is expert at working on fixes to problems you encounter or a company that you work with to maintain your computer security, you need to ensure that you have someone to turn to if you have questions about the safety of your computer systems.
Finally, you need to have a plan for reparation and communication if you have been hacked. This allows you to easily communicate with your clients and ensure that they know about the hacking incident, what they can do to protect their data, and ensure them that you will help with any problems that they run into due to a data breach or hacking incident. It is also prudent to have E&O insurance in case one of your clients decides to take you to court for negligence or other activities that led to the problem.
At American Agents Alliance, we want you to be able to easily protect your insurance agency. Talk with us about E&O insurance for your business, and make sure that your agency is protected.
