The Changing Face of Cyber Insurance in 2025

7 min read

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT conversation—it’s a boardroom priority. With ransomware on the rise and cyberattacks becoming increasingly sophisticated, cyber insurance has become a vital safety net for UK businesses of all sizes.

But as the threat landscape evolves, so too does the insurance market. We’re seeing a marked shift in how insurers evaluate risk, what they’re willing to cover, and what it now costs to stay protected.

In this blog, we break down the latest trends, what’s driving them, and how your business can respond.

What Does Cyber Insurance Cover?

Cyber insurance helps businesses recover quickly after a cyber incident. Policies vary, but typically include:

  • Incident response and forensic investigation
  • Data recovery and systems restoration
  • Legal defence and regulatory fines
  • Customer notification and identity protection
  • Ransomware payments (where permitted)
  • Business interruption losses

Historically geared toward large enterprises, cyber insurance is now also essential for SMEs—especially as attackers increasingly target businesses with less mature defences.

Why Is It Changing?

We’re facing an unprecedented combination of growing cybercrime and increased regulatory pressure. A few key stats:

  • The average cost of a data breach in 2024 reached £3.45 million, up 15% over the past three years (IBM).
  • Ransomware attacks now account for nearly a quarter of all breaches globally.
  • Insurers have seen sharp losses, prompting them to reassess risk and adjust their premiums and policies accordingly.

As a result, premiums are rising rapidly, and coverage is becoming harder to obtain.

1. Premiums Are Rising Fast

Businesses are facing premium increases of 50–100%, even if they’ve never made a claim before. This is due to:

  • Increased frequency and severity of attacks
  • Higher investigation and recovery costs
  • Greater exposure to legal and reputational damage

2. Tougher Underwriting

Insurers are no longer just asking “Do you have antivirus?” Now, they’re scrutinising:

  • Whether Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is enforced
  • Use of endpoint detection and response (EDR/XDR) tools
  • Patch management and vulnerability scanning routines
  • Presence of backup and disaster recovery plans
  • User awareness and phishing training

Failing to meet these standards may result in refusal to insure—or significantly higher premiums.

3. Exclusions Are Expanding

Policies are also getting stricter about what they don’t cover. Standard exclusions now include:

  • Nation-state or ‘cyber war’ attacks: These are becoming uninsurable under standard policies
  • Repeat ransomware claims: Some insurers now cap or exclude payouts after a first incident
  • Negligence clauses: If you didn’t apply a known patch, you may not be covered

In short: the small print matters more than ever.

4. More Modular, Tailored Policies

Some insurers are offering modular cyber policies, allowing businesses to choose coverage by incident type (e.g., phishing, data breach, BEC). This can help tailor coverage to risk—and avoid paying for what you don’t need.

How Your Business Can Prepare

To reduce premiums—and stay insurable—businesses should take a proactive approach:

✅ Strengthen Cyber Hygiene

Use MFA, enforce regular patching, maintain secure backups, and follow a recognised security framework such as Cyber Essentials Plus or ISO 27001.

✅ Document Everything

Keep records of your incident response plan, vulnerability scans, audits, and security policies to ensure continuity and compliance. Insurers increasingly request evidence during underwriting.

✅ Understand Your Policy

Work with a broker who knows the cyber landscape and can help you interpret exclusions, terms, and conditions.

✅ Budget for Higher Costs

Cyber insurance is a rising expense. Start planning for renewals early and incorporate them into your IT risk budgeting.

Final Thoughts

Cyber insurance is now a vital part of business continuity—but getting the right cover has become more complex than ever.

As an MSP, we help businesses not only meet security standards but also improve their cyber maturity—making them more resilient, more insurable, and more prepared.

If you’d like a clearer view of your current risk posture or help navigating your renewal, our team is here to support you.

Do you need the best IT Support and Maintenance for your business?

You need the best IT support in London. Technology is complicated and expensive. It’s so hard to maintain everything and know what to do when something breaks or goes wrong. IT problems can put a damper on your day. They’re frustrating, time-consuming, and seem like a never-ending cycle of issues.

Why you should choose Penntech IT Solutions

Customer Satisfaction Levels/NPS Score

Penntech’s average NPS score over 90 days is 84. The average Net Promoter Score (NPS) for IT Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can vary. Still, an NPS of around 50 is considered excellent in this industry, with scores above 70 exceptional and rare.

No lengthy contract tie-ins and a trial period

We offer our services on a trial basis for the first three months because we’re confident in our delivery and approach.

Comprehensive 24/7 IT Support

Penntech offers a wide range of IT services, from strategic project management to 24/7 remote support, ensuring all your IT needs are always covered.

Cybersecurity Expertise

We provide advanced cybersecurity measures and expertise, including penetration testing services and Cyber Essentials, to protect clients from cyber threats.

Scalability

We offer Clients the ability to scale IT services up or down based on their needs. This flexibility is crucial for businesses that experience seasonal changes or rapid growth.

Tech Focus, not Sales Focus

Other providers often enforce their preferred IT stack, but we don’t, as IT is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Disaster Recovery and Backup Solutions

We ensure our Clients’ business continuity through robust disaster recovery and backup solutions.

Expertise Across Industries

With experience in various verticals and industries, Penntech understands different businesses’ unique IT challenges and can provide customised solutions..

Contact us today or explore the range of support packages on offer.

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Lewis and the team at Penntech are seen very much as an extension of our business. They are professional, technically brilliant, don't over complicate things, very friendly and the staff feel comfortable dealing with them on a daily basis. They have a good understanding of our needs and go above and beyond to ensure we can get on with our day to day business, safe in the knowledge that if anything goes wrong technically that Penntech will resolve it efficiently. Leigh Ryan, CIO, MGAM Ltd

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