Does a small business really need cyber insurance?

Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report data consistently shows small businesses account for a significant share of all breaches, not because attackers specifically target them, but because.

What does cyber insurance actually cover for businesses?

A standalone cyber policy typically covers data breach response costs (forensics, legal notification, credit monitoring), ransomware payments and recovery, business interruption from a cyber event,.

Does my business package policy cover a data breach or ransomware attack?

Generally no. Standard business package policies are built around physical property and general liability and typically exclude cyber events.

How does Cowbell Cyber Insurance underwrite differently from other carriers?

Cowbell Cyber is a specialty carrier using AI and continuous risk assessment to underwrite cyber insurance for small and mid-market businesses.

What does a typical cyber claim cost for a Georgia small business?

The average cyber claim for a Georgia small business in 2025 involved ransomware, with total incident costs ranging from $50K to $250K.

Cyber FAQs

What makes Coalition Cyber Insurance different from other cyber carriers?

All FAQs

Quick answer: Coalition is the leading technology-forward cyber insurance carrier, writing cyber through underwriting partnerships with Swiss Re and Ascot Group.

What is Coalition's active insurance model?

Coalition Cyber Insurance separates itself from conventional cyber carriers through a model it calls active insurance. Most cyber policies sit dormant until a claim arrives. Coalition's approach is different: it continuously scans the internet-facing systems of its policyholders for the same vulnerabilities that threat actors exploit in real attacks, then sends alerts before a breach occurs. The scanning uses the same tools attackers use, including exposed remote-desktop ports, unpatched software, misconfigured email authentication, and compromised credentials on dark-web lists, so the warnings are specific and actionable, not generic advisories.

How does continuous monitoring affect underwriting and pricing?

When a policyholder receives one of those alerts and acts on it, the risk of a successful attack drops. When the risk drops, Coalition's underwriting team sees better loss experience, which feeds back into pricing. The monitoring is not an add-on feature. It is how Coalition underwrites the account in the first place. That structural difference is what separates active insurance from a standard cyber policy. The FAQ on whether small businesses need cyber insurance covers the broader question of when this kind of coverage makes sense.

What does a Coalition cyber policy cover?

The coverage mechanics are similar to what other commercial cyber policies provide:

First-party losses: costs your business bears directly, such as ransomware payments, forensic investigation, data restoration, and business interruption while systems are offline
Third-party liability: claims brought by customers, vendors, or regulators when their data or systems are affected by an incident originating with your business
Social engineering and funds-transfer fraud: coverage for losses from phishing emails that trick employees into wiring money or transferring credentials
Crisis services: breach coaches, public relations firms, and notification costs that kick in when an incident requires a coordinated response

Policy sub-limits apply to several of these categories, and those limits vary by policy and business size. A coverage review can confirm what applies to a specific account.

Which Georgia businesses does Coalition write?

Coalition writes policies for a broad range of businesses, from small professional firms to mid-market companies, including those in healthcare, finance, construction, and technology. Coverage is structured around each business's actual technology footprint rather than a standard template, and limits are sized based on what the scan-based data shows about the account's exposure. For example, a medical practice handling patient records faces different data-breach exposure than a retail shop, and Coalition's underwriting process reflects that difference in how it scopes and prices the coverage.

What does Georgia law require when a data breach happens?

Georgia's data breach notification law (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-912) requires notifying affected Georgia residents without unreasonable delay when certain personal information is compromised. Cyber insurance policies typically cover the legal and notification costs that a breach triggers under that statute, but the coverage language and sub-limits vary by policy. For example, a business storing payment card data alongside employee Social Security numbers may face notification obligations under multiple frameworks simultaneously, each with its own timeline and cost structure. A coverage review can confirm what a specific policy covers and where gaps may exist. The FAQ on claims-made versus occurrence policies explains a related structural distinction that also affects cyber coverage terms. For a broader look at coverage lines that often sit alongside a cyber policy, the FAQ on professional liability insurance is a useful reference.

Coalition cyber insurance is available through Olive Cover. Schedule a coverage review to understand how it fits your current risk profile or how its terms compare with other options.