When you sell insurance to architectural firms, most of the issues you discuss involve destruction to their equipment and liabilities with the buildings they design. However, you probably don’t spend enough time thinking about cyber threats and how your clients should prepare for them. While architectural companies aren’t the top targets of most hacking threats, their complacency makes them vulnerable to financially devastating cyberattacks. Here’s how you can help your clients control their businesses’ chances of suffering from these cyberattacks.
Understand What Cyber Threats Look Like
Your clients must know what cyber threats look like if they’re going to keep their digital information safe. Sometimes, cybercriminals pose as insurance companies, and companies send their monthly premiums to the scammer instead of their actual providers. Other times, hackers use ransomware to hold architectural firms’ online data hostage until they receive a specific payment.
There are various ways that cybercriminals can penetrate your clients’ encrypted data, from viruses to spyware. These forms of corrupting code can give hackers access to your clients’ data, allowing them to steal financial records, or they can destroy the data itself.
Watch Out for Suspicious Activity
Once your clients are educated about the different potential threats, they must train themselves to watch for suspicious activity. Generally, hackers start small, testing whether their intrusions go unnoticed or copying minor details from your clients’ encrypted data. Your clients should watch for unauthorized users as they work in shared online spaces, and they should also invest in a security company that monitors and reports these incidents.
Use Caution With Unknown Content
There are many ways of transmitting information online, and some of them are easy for cybercriminals to target your clients’ databases. These include flash drives that contain viruses, links from unknown senders, and attachments that contain malware. Your clients must hold regular cyber safety training with all their employees so that everyone knows basic online security protocols.
Update Software Regularly
Your clients update their architecture software regularly so that they can make the most detailed and accurate plans for their customers’ buildings. They must practice the same diligence in updating their security software to manage cyber threats. Old software’s code tends to be much more vulnerable because it’s not guaranteed by the manufacturer anymore and because cybercriminals have had time to learn its weaknesses.
Prioritize the Most Sensitive Data
Not all the information that your clients store online has the same importance. For example, an architectural firm’s list of vendors is sensitive but not as private as its banking details. Your clients should make a list of the information that needs the most protection and optimize their encryption and monitoring systems for that data.
About Cochrane and Company
For more than six decades, Cochrane & Company has been proudly at the forefront of the insurance industry. Our experience has enabled us to innovate in powerful ways, reimagining the E&S market, and providing technology solutions that make it easy to do business with us. Licensed in all 50 states, we proudly serve clients across the nation, providing personalized and powerful solutions to help you become an even better partner for your clients. Speak to one of our experienced professionals today by calling (509) 462-1148.
