Three scenarios dominate the claims data. First, a compromised vendor email chain leads your AP team to redirect a legitimate invoice payment to a new bank account controlled by a criminal. Second, a spoofed executive email instructs your controller to wire funds for a confidential acquisition or urgent tax payment. Third, a threat actor compromises your company's own email system and intercepts outbound payment instructions to your clients, redirecting incoming payments. Each scenario triggers a different coverage grant, and some policies cover only one or two of the three.
Common Wire Transfer Loss Scenarios
A single compromised medical device firmware update, one misdirected wire transfer, or a ransomware payload detonating across a SaaS platform's production environment: any of these events can generate seven-figure losses before your incident response team finishes its first call. For companies operating in Irvine and across Orange County, cyber insurance is no longer a discretionary line item. It is a prerequisite for doing business with hospitals, enterprise clients, and regulated counterparties. This guide breaks down the specific coverage structures that matter for medical device manufacturers, software companies, and financial services firms headquartered in California's tech corridor, covering cyber liability, ransomware response, and funds transfer fraud protection at the policy-form level. Whether you are purchasing your first cyber policy or renegotiating terms on a renewal, the distinctions between insuring agreements, sublimits, and exclusions will determine whether a claim pays or gets denied. Understanding those distinctions before you bind coverage is the entire point.
The Evolving Threat Landscape for Irvine Tech and Finance Firms
Irvine sits at the center of one of the densest concentrations of technology, medical device, and financial services companies in the western United States. That density creates a rich target environment. Threat actors do not randomly select victims; they follow capital, intellectual property, and regulated data. All three converge in Orange County.
The threat profile has shifted materially over the past 18 months. Ransomware groups now routinely exfiltrate data before encrypting systems, creating dual-extortion scenarios where paying the ransom does not guarantee the data will not be published. Business email compromise schemes targeting wire transfers have grown more sophisticated, with attackers spending weeks inside email systems before redirecting a single high-value payment. These are not hypothetical risks for Irvine firms; they are active, recurring claim scenarios.
Why Orange County is a Primary Target for Cybercriminals
Orange County hosts over 17,000 technology-related businesses and a disproportionate share of FDA-regulated medical device manufacturers. Financial services firms concentrated along the 405 corridor manage billions in client assets. Cybercriminals target regions where the ratio of valuable data to security maturity is favorable, and mid-market companies with 10 to 500 employees often lack the dedicated security operations centers that Fortune 500 firms maintain. The result is a measurable concentration of cyber incidents in Southern California's business corridors, making appropriate insurance coverage a baseline operational requirement.
The High Cost of Data Breaches in Medical Device Manufacturing
Medical device makers face a unique exposure. A breach that compromises protected health information triggers California's breach notification statute, HIPAA enforcement, and potentially FDA post-market surveillance obligations simultaneously. The average cost per breached healthcare record continues to exceed $400 in 2026 when you factor in forensic investigation, notification, credit monitoring, regulatory defense, and civil liability. For a mid-size Irvine device manufacturer holding records on 50,000 patients, that arithmetic produces a $20 million exposure from a single incident. Standard general liability and professional liability policies do not respond to these costs
By: Caden Braly
Founder of Bloc Cyber Insurance
INDEX
Bloc Cyber and Its Licensed Producers Are Authorized to Place Cyber Coverage in All 50 U.S. States and The District of Columbia.
Cyber liability insurance covers the financial losses your business faces after a cyberattack or data breach. This page explains what the coverage includes, who needs it, what it costs, and how Bloc Cyber helps you get protected fast.
We start with a twenty-minute call to walk through your contracts, your draw process, your tech stack, and the last twelve months of attempted fraud. From there we go to market with ten-plus carriers, benchmark terms side-by-side, and present the options in plain language with recommended limits and retentions. Most intakes get indicative terms within one business day.
Forensic Investigations: Identifying the Source and Scope
Forensic investigators determine how the attacker got in, what data was accessed, whether exfiltration occurred, and whether the threat actor is still present in the network. Their report drives every downstream decision: which individuals must be notified, whether payment card brands must be alerted, and what remediation steps are necessary. Forensic engagements for mid-market companies commonly run between $30,000 and $150,000, depending on the complexity of the environment. The policy form may impose a separate sublimit on forensic costs or bundle them under a single breach response aggregate. Bloc Cyber reviews these sublimits at the insuring-agreement level before binding, so clients understand exactly how much forensic coverage they are purchasing and where the cap sits relative to their actual exposure.
Core Components of a Modern Cyber Insurance Policy
A properly structured cyber policy contains discrete insuring agreements, each responding to a different category of loss. Treating cyber insurance as a single block of coverage is a common mistake. The policy form is modular, and each module has its own limit, retention, and set of conditions.
First-party coverages typically include breach response costs, business interruption and extra expense, data restoration, and cyber extortion. Third-party coverages address claims brought against you by affected individuals, business partners, or regulators. The distinction matters because a ransomware event triggers first-party coverage, while a class action from affected customers triggers third-party coverage, and both can arise from the same incident.
Ransomware Protection and Extortion Coverage
Ransomware coverage within a cyber policy typically includes the ransom payment itself (subject to OFAC compliance), negotiation costs, and forensic expenses to determine the scope of encryption and exfiltration. The critical details sit in the waiting period for business interruption and the sublimit applied to extortion payments. Some policy forms impose 8- to 12-hour waiting periods before business interruption coverage activates. For a SaaS company whose platform generates $50,000 per hour in transaction volume, those hours represent uninsured loss. Bloc Cyber's approach of reviewing waiting periods, sublimits, and retroactive dates at the insuring-agreement level before binding exists precisely to surface these gaps.
Funds Transfer Fraud: Protecting Capital from Social Engineering
Funds transfer fraud coverage responds when an employee is deceived into sending money to a fraudulent account. This is distinct from computer fraud, which requires a direct hack of your systems. Many policy forms exclude social engineering losses unless a specific endorsement is added, and that endorsement often carries its own sublimit, sometimes as low as $100,000 on a $2 million policy. For financial services firms in Irvine processing client disbursements, a $100,000 sublimit is inadequate. You need to confirm whether the endorsement covers both incoming and outgoing transfers, whether it requires a callback verification protocol, and whether voluntary payments are excluded.
Third-Party Liability vs. First-Party Response Costs
First-party costs are what you spend to respond to an incident: forensics, notification, crisis communications, credit monitoring, and business interruption. Third-party costs are what others claim against you: regulatory fines, defense costs, settlements, and contractual liability to business partners. A software company whose product fails and exposes client data faces both categories simultaneously. California's expanding privacy enforcement posture in 2026 means regulatory defense costs are climbing, and the California Privacy Protection Agency has signaled increased audit activity. Your policy's regulatory proceedings coverage and its treatment of fines and penalties directly affect whether those defense costs are covered.
We start with a twenty-minute call to walk through your contracts, your draw process, your tech stack, and the last twelve months of attempted fraud. From there we go to market with ten-plus carriers, benchmark terms side-by-side, and present the options in plain language with recommended limits and retentions. Most intakes get indicative terms within one business day.
FAQ: Does my general business insurance cover hacking?
Almost certainly not. Standard CGL and BOP policies contain electronic data exclusions. Even if your policy has a small "data breach" endorsement, it is typically capped at $50,000 to $100,000, which will not cover a meaningful incident. A standalone cyber liability form provides the breadth and limits required for a real claim.
FAQ: How does a consent order affect my future premiums?
A consent order signals increased risk to underwriters. Expect premium increases at renewal, potentially 25 to 100 percent or more depending on the severity of the order and your compliance track record. Some carriers may decline to renew entirely if the consent order reveals systemic compliance failures.
Law firm cyber coverage is not a commodity product you can purchase by checking a box on a general liability application. The risks are specific: trust account fraud, privileged document exposure, deal data theft, multi-state notification obligations, and business interruption measured in lost billable hours. Your policy needs to reflect those risks at the insuring-agreement level, with sub-limits and retentions that match your actual exposure.
Do not wait for a breach to discover that your social engineering sub-limit is $100,000 on a $1.2 million wire or that your business-interruption waiting period is 24 hours when your systems were down for a week. If you are purchasing your first cyber policy or renewing an existing one, have a specialist review the actual policy form with you. Bloc Cyber's practice is built entirely around cyber, technology E&O, and AI liability placement. You can
request a coverage review to have a specialist walk through the insuring agreements, sub-limits, and exclusions specific to your firm's risk profile before you bind.
Comparing Cyber Insurance Needs by Industry
Not every Irvine firm needs the same coverage structure. A medical device manufacturer's primary exposure is regulated health data and product liability intersection. A SaaS company's exposure centers on service interruption, dependent business interruption, and technology errors and omissions. A financial services firm's exposure is concentrated in funds transfer fraud, fiduciary data, and regulatory compliance. The table below maps these differences.
Table: Coverage Priorities for Software, Med-Tech, and Finance
| Coverage Component | Software / SaaS | Medical Device | Financial Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Interruption | High priority: platform downtime = revenue loss | Moderate: manufacturing delays | Moderate: trading platform outages |
| Ransomware / Extortion | High: production environments targeted | High: operational technology at risk | Moderate to high |
| Funds Transfer Fraud | Moderate | Low to moderate | Critical: daily wire activity |
| Regulatory Defense | High: CCPA/CPRA exposure | Critical: HIPAA + FDA overlap | High: state and federal regulators |
| Third-Party Liability | Critical: client data and SLA breaches | High: patient data exposure | High: fiduciary duty claims |
| Technology E&O | Critical: SaaS firms face contract liability for service failures | Moderate: firmware/software in devices | Low to moderate |
| Dependent Business Interruption | High: cloud provider outages | Moderate | Moderate: third-party platform reliance |
This comparison underscores why a bundled, one-size-fits-all cyber policy often leaves gaps. A firm like Bloc Cyber that places coverage at the insuring-agreement level can match each column to the appropriate limit and retention.
We start with a twenty-minute call to walk through your contracts, your draw process, your tech stack, and the last twelve months of attempted fraud. From there we go to market with ten-plus carriers, benchmark terms side-by-side, and present the options in plain language with recommended limits and retentions. Most intakes get indicative terms within one business day.
| Coverage Element | Commercial General Liability | Cyber Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Data breach notification costs | Not covered | Covered under first-party |
| Ransomware payment | Not covered | Covered (subject to sublimit) |
| Regulatory defense | Not covered | Covered under third-party |
| Business interruption from cyberattack | Not covered | Covered with waiting period |
| Funds transfer fraud | Not covered | Covered via cyber crime endorsement |
| Third-party lawsuit over data loss | Excluded or severely limited | Covered under third-party liability |
| Technology product failure | Not covered | Covered under Tech E&O |
Most states have not passed explicit statutes declaring regulatory fines insurable or uninsurable. Instead, the question turns on public policy: courts in some jurisdictions hold that allowing insurance to pay a punitive or regulatory fine would undermine the fine's deterrent purpose. New York, for example, has case law suggesting that certain regulatory penalties are uninsurable on public policy grounds. Texas and California courts have taken different positions depending on the type of fine and the regulatory scheme involved.
Your policy form will typically include language stating that fines and penalties are covered "to the extent insurable under applicable law." This shifts the jurisdictional analysis to the time of claim. Bloc Cyber maintains state-by-state fluency in breach-notification triggers and regulatory defense exposure, which matters when your operations span multiple states with different public policy positions on fine insurability.
State-by-State Variations in Public Policy and Uninsurable Fines
Companies with operations in the EU, UK, or Asia-Pacific face additional complexity. GDPR fines imposed by European data protection authorities can reach four percent of global annual revenue. Whether a US-placed policy can respond to a GDPR fine depends on the policy's territorial scope, the choice-of-law provisions, and whether the jurisdiction where the fine is imposed permits its insurance.
Many standard cyber forms limit territorial coverage to the United States and its territories. If your company has employees, customers, or data processing activities in Europe, you need a form with international regulatory coverage or a locally admitted policy in the relevant jurisdiction. The cost of getting this wrong is not theoretical: monitor and compliance fees in cross-border enforcement actions can compound rapidly when multiple regulators coordinate investigations.
International Considerations for Multinational Regulatory Risks
Addressing Known Issues and Exclusions
Any issue identified during diligence that is disclosed to the underwriter becomes a known issue and is excluded from coverage. This is a fundamental principle of R&W insurance: it covers unknown breaches, not problems you already know about. Buyers sometimes assume they can disclose a problem and still obtain coverage for it. They cannot. The underwriter will carve out any known matter, and the buyer must negotiate a specific indemnity from the seller or accept the risk. This is where the interplay between your diligence process and your insurance placement becomes critical: thoroughness in diligence improves your coverage, but every issue you find narrows it.
For companies that carry cyber liability or technology E&O policies, this dynamic should feel familiar. At Bloc Cyber, we see a parallel in how cyber insurers evaluate a company's security posture before binding coverage: known vulnerabilities get excluded or trigger higher retentions, just as known issues do in R&W underwriting.
How much does cyber insurance cost for a small firm?
A firm of 10 to 25 attorneys can typically expect premiums in the range of $3,000 to $12,000 annually for $1 million in coverage, depending on practice areas, security controls in place, and claims history. Firms handling real estate closings or M&A work will pay more because of the wire-fraud exposure.
Your SOC 2 report documents what your controls look like. Your cyber policy form defines what happens financially when those controls fail. A first-party breach response grant typically covers forensic investigation, legal counsel, notification costs, and credit monitoring. A third-party liability grant covers defense costs and settlements arising from claims by affected individuals or businesses. Technology E&O coverage responds when a failure in your product or service causes financial harm to a client.
The critical question is whether the policy form covers the specific failure mode your SOC 2 report flagged. If your report noted an exception in access management and an attacker later exploited that exact weakness, the carrier's claims team will review whether the application was answered accurately. Misrepresentation on an application can void coverage entirely, which is why aligning your SOC 2 findings with your insurance application answers is not optional.
The table above shows that SOC 2 and cyber insurance requirements overlap heavily, but insurance applications often go further on specific technical controls. A SOC 2 report alone does not satisfy every underwriting question.
Risk Management and Lowering Your Premiums
Cyber insurance premiums for mid-market firms in California reflect two variables: your industry's loss history and your specific security posture. Premium rates have stabilized as of Q3 2025, with well-protected firms seeing modest reductions of 2% or more on renewal. That stabilization rewards companies that can demonstrate mature security controls during the underwriting process.
Underwriters evaluate your multi-factor authentication deployment, endpoint detection and response tools, backup architecture, employee phishing training frequency, and incident response plan documentation. Firms that cannot demonstrate these controls face higher retentions, lower limits, or outright declinations. The underwriting questionnaire is not a formality; it is a risk selection tool, and inaccurate answers can void coverage at claim time.
Security Standards Required for California Insurability
California's regulatory environment adds a layer of complexity. The CCPA and CPRA impose specific data protection obligations, and the California Privacy Protection Agency has increased its enforcement actions and rulemaking activity heading into 2026. Underwriters now expect California-domiciled firms to demonstrate compliance with these statutes as a condition of favorable pricing. Specific requirements vary by carrier, but expect questions about data mapping, consumer request handling, vendor risk management, and encryption standards for data at rest and in transit. Companies that can document compliance with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework or SOC 2 Type II controls typically receive more favorable terms.
The gap between a basic crime policy and a comprehensive fraud protection program is significant. The table below highlights key differences.
We start with a twenty-minute call to walk through your contracts, your draw process, your tech stack, and the last twelve months of attempted fraud. From there we go to market with ten-plus carriers, benchmark terms side-by-side, and present the options in plain language with recommended limits and retentions. Most intakes get indicative terms within one business day.
This comparison illustrates why a general liability policy, even one with a broad "personal and advertising injury" grant, will not respond to a regulatory proceeding. The coverage must be placed specifically under a cyber or technology E&O form that includes regulatory defense as a named insuring agreement.
| Coverage Feature | Basic Crime Policy | Comprehensive Cyber with Fraud Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Fraud | Typically included | Included |
| Social Engineering | Optional endorsement, low sublimit | Included, higher sublimits available |
| Push Payment Fraud | Often excluded | May be covered as separate grant |
| Account Takeover | May fall under computer fraud | Explicitly covered |
| Forensic Investigation | Not covered | First-party expense coverage |
| Legal and Regulatory Costs | Not covered | Included |
| Callback Verification Required | Yes, strict condition | Yes, but terms vary by form |
| Typical Sublimit Range | $100K - $250K | $250K - $1M+ |
R&W retentions function similarly to a deductible but are typically structured as a percentage of enterprise value. A common retention for mid-market deals sits between 1% and 3% of the transaction value. On a $50 million deal, that means the buyer absorbs the first $500,000 to $1.5 million of covered losses before the insurer pays anything. The retention exists because underwriters expect the buyer's own diligence to catch smaller issues. Retention levels are negotiable and vary by carrier, deal size, and the quality of the diligence package presented during underwriting.
How Retention Works as a Deductible
The Transition from Retention to Drop-Down Coverage
Most R&W policies include a drop-down feature that reduces the retention, often by half, after a specified period, typically 12 months post-closing. If the original retention is $1 million, it drops to $500,000 after the first year. This mechanism reflects the assumption that the most significant breaches surface early. The reduced retention in the later period provides the buyer with more accessible coverage for claims that emerge after the initial post-closing adjustment period. Some policies offer a full drop to zero retention after 18 or 24 months, though this depends on the specific terms negotiated with the underwriter.
Common Questions About Cyber Coverage in Irvine
Buyers approaching their first or second cyber policy often share similar concerns. The questions below reflect what risk managers, CFOs, and IT leads in Irvine's mid-market most frequently ask.
FAQ: Understanding Limits, Deductibles, and Exclusions
How much cyber liability coverage does a mid-market Irvine firm need? Limits depend on your revenue, data volume, and contractual obligations. Most firms in the 50-to-500-employee range carry $1 million to $5 million in aggregate limits, but contract requirements from enterprise clients or hospital systems may dictate higher thresholds.
What is the typical retention (deductible) on a cyber policy? Retentions for mid-market firms generally range from $10,000 to $50,000, though SaaS companies and firms with higher risk profiles may see retentions of $75,000 or more depending on claims history and security posture.
Does cyber insurance cover regulatory fines under California law? Some policy forms include a carve-back for insurable fines and penalties where permitted by law. California law permits insurance for certain civil penalties, but the policy language must specifically include this coverage. Not all forms do.
Are acts of war excluded from cyber policies? Most policy forms contain a war exclusion, but the scope varies significantly. Some forms exclude only kinetic warfare; others exclude state-sponsored cyberattacks. The definition of "hostile act" in your specific policy form determines whether a nation-state attack triggers the exclusion.
Does my general liability policy already cover data breaches? Almost certainly not. Standard CGL policies contain electronic data exclusions and do not respond to privacy claims, breach notification costs, or cyber extortion. A standalone cyber liability policy is required.
Will my premium increase after filing a claim? Typically, yes. A single claim can increase premiums by 20% to 50% at renewal, depending on severity. Demonstrating remediation steps and improved controls after an incident can moderate the increase.
We start with a twenty-minute call to walk through your contracts, your draw process, your tech stack, and the last twelve months of attempted fraud. From there we go to market with ten-plus carriers, benchmark terms side-by-side, and present the options in plain language with recommended limits and retentions. Most intakes get indicative terms within one business day.
| Coverage Element | Commercial General Liability | Cyber Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Data breach notification costs | Not covered | Covered under first-party |
| Ransomware payment | Not covered | Covered (subject to sublimit) |
| Regulatory defense | Not covered | Covered under third-party |
| Business interruption from cyberattack | Not covered | Covered with waiting period |
| Funds transfer fraud | Not covered | Covered via cyber crime endorsement |
| Third-party lawsuit over data loss | Excluded or severely limited | Covered under third-party liability |
| Technology product failure | Not covered | Covered under Tech E&O |
Most states have not passed explicit statutes declaring regulatory fines insurable or uninsurable. Instead, the question turns on public policy: courts in some jurisdictions hold that allowing insurance to pay a punitive or regulatory fine would undermine the fine's deterrent purpose. New York, for example, has case law suggesting that certain regulatory penalties are uninsurable on public policy grounds. Texas and California courts have taken different positions depending on the type of fine and the regulatory scheme involved.
Your policy form will typically include language stating that fines and penalties are covered "to the extent insurable under applicable law." This shifts the jurisdictional analysis to the time of claim. Bloc Cyber maintains state-by-state fluency in breach-notification triggers and regulatory defense exposure, which matters when your operations span multiple states with different public policy positions on fine insurability.
State-by-State Variations in Public Policy and Uninsurable Fines
Companies with operations in the EU, UK, or Asia-Pacific face additional complexity. GDPR fines imposed by European data protection authorities can reach four percent of global annual revenue. Whether a US-placed policy can respond to a GDPR fine depends on the policy's territorial scope, the choice-of-law provisions, and whether the jurisdiction where the fine is imposed permits its insurance.
Many standard cyber forms limit territorial coverage to the United States and its territories. If your company has employees, customers, or data processing activities in Europe, you need a form with international regulatory coverage or a locally admitted policy in the relevant jurisdiction. The cost of getting this wrong is not theoretical: monitor and compliance fees in cross-border enforcement actions can compound rapidly when multiple regulators coordinate investigations.
International Considerations for Multinational Regulatory Risks
Addressing Known Issues and Exclusions
Any issue identified during diligence that is disclosed to the underwriter becomes a known issue and is excluded from coverage. This is a fundamental principle of R&W insurance: it covers unknown breaches, not problems you already know about. Buyers sometimes assume they can disclose a problem and still obtain coverage for it. They cannot. The underwriter will carve out any known matter, and the buyer must negotiate a specific indemnity from the seller or accept the risk. This is where the interplay between your diligence process and your insurance placement becomes critical: thoroughness in diligence improves your coverage, but every issue you find narrows it.
For companies that carry cyber liability or technology E&O policies, this dynamic should feel familiar. At Bloc Cyber, we see a parallel in how cyber insurers evaluate a company's security posture before binding coverage: known vulnerabilities get excluded or trigger higher retentions, just as known issues do in R&W underwriting.
Post-Incident Forensic and Legal Obligations
After a SCADA or OT intrusion, you will likely face parallel investigations: your own internal forensic team, your insurer's panel forensics firm, CISA, and potentially your state public utility commission. A coordinated attack on Minnesota water utilities demonstrated how quickly a regional incident can trigger multi-agency scrutiny.
Your policy should not restrict your choice of forensic investigators to a panel that lacks OT expertise. If the form requires you to use a pre-approved vendor, confirm that vendor has ICS forensic capability. The wrong forensic team can miss artifacts specific to industrial protocols like Modbus or DNP3, leaving you with an incomplete investigation and a disputed claim.
How much does cyber insurance cost for a small firm?
A firm of 10 to 25 attorneys can typically expect premiums in the range of $3,000 to $12,000 annually for $1 million in coverage, depending on practice areas, security controls in place, and claims history. Firms handling real estate closings or M&A work will pay more because of the wire-fraud exposure.
Making the Right Choice for Your Digital Assets
Cyber coverage for Irvine's medical device makers, software companies, and financial services firms is not a commodity purchase. The differences between policy forms, from waiting periods and sublimits to war exclusions and social engineering endorsements, determine whether your coverage actually responds when a claim arrives. A $3 million aggregate limit means nothing if a $100,000 funds transfer fraud sublimit caps your recovery on a $500,000 wire fraud loss.
The right approach is to treat the policy form as a technical document, not a sales brochure. Every insuring agreement, every endorsement, and every exclusion carries financial consequences that become visible only during a claim. If you are evaluating cyber liability coverage for the first time or questioning whether your current policy matches your actual risk profile, requesting a form-level review from a specialist is a practical first step. You can request a coverage review to have a Bloc Cyber specialist walk through the specific insuring agreements, sublimits, and exclusions in your policy before your next renewal or binding decision.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caden Braly
— Founder, Bloc Cyber
I'm Caden Braly, founder of Bloc Cyber, the specialty cyber insurance arm of Braly Insurance. I built Bloc Cyber around one idea: businesses deserve coverage that actually responds when a cyberattack happens. I work closely with clients to understand their exposure, place the right policy through specialty carriers, and stand with them through the claim. My goal is simple — give every business straight answers and protection they can trust.
Full profile → caden@bloccyber.com LinkedIn
Industries We Protect
Cyber Coverage Built for Your Industry
Every industry faces a different cyber threat, from patient records in healthcare to wire fraud in construction. Bloc Cyber matches coverage to the risks your sector actually faces, drawing on specialty carriers that understand your business. Find your industry below to see how we protect it.
Healthcare
Banking
Retail / E-Commerce
Legal
Technology / SaaS
Education
Energy / Utilities
Manufacturing
Construction
Defense
Healthcare
HIPAA-grade protection for patient data
725
healthcare breaches disclosed in 2024
HIPAA-grade protection for patient data
▣ Ransomware on EHR systems
▣ PHI exfiltration
▣ Medical device exploits
▣ Business email compromise
Sub-sectors we place
Hospitals and health systems
Physician practices and specialty clinics
Dental practices and DSOs
Behavioral health and addiction treatment centers
Medical billing and revenue cycle management firms
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
Banking
Coverage that meets FFIEC and NYDFS expectations
$5.9M
average cost of a financial sector breach
Common threats we underwrite against
▣ Wire fraud and BEC
▣ Credential stuffing
▣ Third-party vendor risk
▣ Ransomware
Sub-sectors we place
Community banks
Credit unions
Mortgage lenders and loan originators
Wealth management and RIAs
Payment processors and merchant acquirers
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
Retail / E-Commerce
PCI-DSS aligned coverage for every checkout
42%
of retailers hit by ransomware in the last year
Common threats we underwrite against
▣ Magecart / card skimming
▣ POS malware
▣ Account takeover
▣ Supply-chain intrusion
Sub-sectors we place
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands
Shopify and marketplace sellers
Brick-and-mortar multi-location retailers
Restaurants and QSR franchises
Grocery and specialty food retail
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
Legal
Privilege, client files, and trust-account safeguards
1 in 4
law firms reported a breach in 2024
Common threats we underwrite against
▣ Wire-transfer fraud
▣ Privileged data theft
▣ Email account compromise
▣ Ransomware
Sub-sectors we place
AmLaw / large firms
Boutique litigation firms
Personal injury and plaintiffs’ firms
Estate planning and trust attorneys
Title and real estate closing firms
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
Technology / SaaS
SOC 2 and ISO-aligned risk transfer
$4.88M
avg. cost of a SaaS breach in 2024
Common threats we underwrite against
▣ Supply-chain attacks
▣ Cloud misconfiguration
▣ Token and key theft
▣ Zero-day exploits
Sub-sectors we place
B2B SaaS platforms
Managed service providers (MSPs) and MSSPs
Fintech startups
AI and machine learning companies
Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
Education
FERPA-aligned coverage for student and research data
80%
of K–12 districts hit by ransomware since 2022
Common threats we underwrite against
▣ Ransomware on district networks
▣ Student PII theft
▣ Fake invoice fraud
▣ DDoS on exam platforms
Sub-sectors we place
K-12 public school districts
Private and charter schools
Colleges and universities
EdTech platforms
Tutoring, test prep, and online learning providers
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
Energy / Utilities
OT and IT coverage for critical infrastructure
24/7
operational-tech monitoring requirements
Common threats we underwrite against
▣ ICS/SCADA intrusion
▣ Nation-state actors
▣ Ransomware on OT
▣ Insider threat
Sub-sectors we place
Municipal utilities (water, electric, gas)
Oil and gas operators
Pipeline and midstream companies
Renewable energy (solar, wind) developers
Electric cooperatives and rural utilities
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
Manufacturing
Business interruption protection for connected plants
25%
of all ransomware attacks target manufacturing
Common threats we underwrite against
▣ Ransomware halting production
▣ IP theft
▣ ICS exploits
▣ Vendor compromise
Sub-sectors we place
Industrial and heavy equipment manufacturers
Food and beverage processing
Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers
Automotive and parts suppliers
Aerospace component manufacturers
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
Construction
Protection for project files, wires, and jobsite tech
$200K+
average wire-fraud loss in construction
Common threats we underwrite against
▣ Wire-transfer diversion
▣ BEC on project payments
▣ Stolen bid data
▣ Ransomware
Sub-sectors we place
General contractors
Commercial HVAC, electrical, and plumbing subs
Civil and infrastructure contractors
Homebuilders and residential developers
Architecture and engineering (A&E) firms
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
Defense
CMMC, DFARS, and CUI-compliant risk transfer
CMMC
2.0 compliance required by 2026
Common threats we underwrite against
▣ CUI exfiltration
▣ Nation-state APTs
▣ Supply-chain compromise
▣ Cleared-personnel targeting
Sub-sectors we place
DoD prime contractors
CMMC-regulated subcontractors
Defense software and systems integrators
Aerospace and satellite contractors
Federal IT and cleared staffing firms
Typical turnaround for indication of terms: 1 business day.
The Bloc system
One foundation.
Ten industry-specific builds.
The Bloc mark is built from stackable planes — each one a different angle on the same core structure. That’s how we place coverage: one underwriting discipline, tuned and re-tuned for every industry we serve.
Coverage
A policy you can actually read.
Structured in three clean blocs.
01
First-Party
Your direct losses when an incident hits your business.
✓
Incident response & forensics
✓
Business interruption
✓ Data restoration
✓ Cyber extortion / ransomware
✓ Funds transfer fraud
✓ Reputational harm
02
Third-Party
Your liability to clients, partners, and regulators.
✓
Network security liability
✓
Privacy liability (HIPAA, GDPR, state laws)
✓ Regulatory defense & fines
✓ PCI-DSS fines and assessments
✓ Media liability
✓ Breach notification costs
03
Specialty
Advanced coverages for complex risks and contracts.
✓
Technology E&O
✓
Social engineering fraud
✓ Contingent business interruption
✓ Systems failure
✓ Bricking & hardware replacement
✓ CMMC / regulatory-specific endorsements
Typical limits placed
$1M / $1M starter
$5M / $10M mid-market
$25M+ layered towers
Custom retentions
Common Questions
Cyber Liability Insurance, Explained
What does cyber insurance cover?
Cyber insurance covers the financial losses from a data breach or cyberattack. This includes breach response, legal fees, customer notification, ransomware, business interruption, and regulatory fines, depending on your policy.
Does my business really need cyber insurance?
Yes. Any business that stores customer data, processes payments, or relies on connected systems faces cyber risk. Small and mid-sized companies are frequent targets because they often have fewer defenses.
How much does cyber insurance cost?
Cost depends on your industry, revenue, data volume, and security practices. We market your risk to multiple carriers to find strong coverage at a competitive price. Request a quote for an exact figure.
What is the difference between first-party and third-party cyber coverage?
First-party coverage pays for your own losses, like data recovery and lost income. Third-party coverage pays for claims from others harmed by a breach on your systems.
How fast can I get a quote?
Most clients receive a quote in under 24 hours after we review the details of their business and exposure.
What should I do first after a cyberattack?
Contact us right away. We help you start breach response, connect you with forensic and legal support, and guide your claim so you contain the damage quickly.
Insights
Field notes from the placement desk.
What carriers are asking right now.
Start a quote
Tell us about your business.
We’ll come back with terms.
We’ll review your stack, your contracts, and your exposure — then place the program against the right markets. Most intakes get indicative terms back within one business day.
01
Quick intake
We only ask what the carriers actually need.
02
Benchmark
Side-by-side terms from 10+ specialty cyber carriers.
03
Bind
Plain-language policy review, e-signed and in force.
