Cyber Insurance Readiness Checklist

What’s in this guide

Cyber insurance applications have gotten increasingly technical. Carriers now ask specific questions about MFA, endpoint detection, backup architecture, and incident response — and a wrong answer can mean rejection or a premium increase.

This checklist maps each common application question to the specific technical control you need, so you can assess your readiness before your renewal.

What you’ll learn

• The 7 controls every cyber insurance carrier asks about
• Exactly what “good enough” looks like for each one — what satisfies carriers vs. what gets flagged
• Common gaps that cause rejections or premium increases
• Quick wins you can implement before your next application

Who this is for

• Business owners preparing for a cyber insurance application or renewal
• Office managers responsible for compliance documentation
• Anyone who’s been told their premiums are going up and wants to understand why

The controls covered

1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
2. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR/MDR)
3. Backup and Disaster Recovery
4. Security Awareness Training
5. Patch Management
6. Incident Response Planning
7. Email Security (SPF/DKIM/DMARC)

Each section includes the typical application question, what the carrier is really looking for, what a passing answer looks like, and red flags that trigger follow-up questions or denials.