As insurance organizations look to attract and engage customers, the growing use of web applications has increased their cyber exposure and the risks of cyberattacks. In this benchmark study, we analyzed the attack surface of the top 10 insurers in Europe to highlight the common attack vectors and security weaknesses that could be exploited – from page creation method to vulnerable components – and our top tips for reducing web application security risks.

The connected nature of business environments has increased the severity and frequency of cyberattacks in the insurance sector. Insurance companies face a greater threat than most industries because they deal with sensitive and valuable data stemming from numerous avenues. This has resulted in several high-profile cyberattacks on insurance providers over the past few years.

Insurance companies know how to protect their clients’ homes, cars, and businesses— but protecting the personal information of those customers is a bit harder to assure. While the insurance industry focuses on risk-based analyses for its own underwriting programs, firms also need to apply those same risk management processes to securing customer information.

Almost exactly a year ago, cybersecurity professionals were locked in a heated debate about insurance. While some were keen to point out that the future of the industry would need to include some form of insurance market, others argued that cyber insurance would never be worth the premiums, especially given the inherently volatile nature of cybersecurity. The pandemic has changed all of that.