Free tool
Are You Ready for Your Cyber Insurance Application?
Cyber insurance requirements are enforced at two moments: when you apply and when you renew. Both have hard dates - renewals arrive on a date, not when you're ready - and the controls carriers ask about take weeks or months to put in place, not days.
This checklist covers the twelve controls that appear on current carrier applications, drawn from the published application forms and requirements of Coalition, At-Bay, Chubb, and Travelers. Check what you have today, and the first time you see these questions won't be inside a form with a deadline.
It takes about five minutes. Free, no email required to see your results. One honest caveat: every carrier's form is different - this is the common core, not a substitute for your carrier's actual application.
These controls also map to regulatory requirements - MFA and encryption appear in the FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR 314.4), and backup and recovery map to the Protect and Recover functions of NIST CSF. Carriers didn't invent this list; they enforce it on a schedule.
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FAQ
Common questions
Will checking every box get me approved or lower my premium?
No promises - carriers set their own underwriting and pricing, and we don't control either. What this list reliably does is remove the surprises: these are the questions you'll be asked, and knowing your answers before the form does is the whole game.
What happens if my application answers are wrong?
Cyber insurance requirements bite at application and renewal, not at claim time - and when an application misrepresents controls, carriers have gone to court to void the entire policy (Travelers v. International Control Services, 2022, resolved with the policy rescinded). A voided policy isn't a denied claim; it's no coverage at all. Answer accurately, and make the controls you attest to the controls you actually run.
My carrier's application looks different from this list.
It will - every carrier's form is different, and ransomware supplementals go deeper than the base application. This is the common core across published carrier forms. Bring your actual application to the assessment and we'll work from that.
When should I start - at application or at renewal?
Before either. Controls take longer to implement than forms take to fill out, and your renewal date is already on the calendar - work backward from it. Starting after the form arrives means attesting to intentions instead of controls, and that's the one thing not to do.
The information provided here is for educational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. Requirements change and applicability depends on your specific circumstances - for specific compliance concerns, consult a qualified legal professional.
We are not an insurance carrier or broker. Confirm requirements with your carrier - their application is the authority on what they require.