Chubb Launches New Cyber-Security Insurance Policy For Commercial Organizations

PRESS RELEASE

WARREN, NJ, October 26, 2009 - CyberSecurity by ChubbSM , a new insurance policy from the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, is designed to help protect all types of commercial organizations against losses resulting from data security breaches. In addition, customers can utilize Chubb's Risk Matrix, an online security assessment tool, to help evaluate the overall effectiveness of the organization's risk controls against a cyber-security breach.

"In the past, cyber criminals tended to focus on early adapters of technology, such as financial institutions. Today, nearly every company is at risk of a cyber-security breach: It isn't a matter of if they will experience a data security breach, but when," said Tracey Vispoli, vice president, Chubb & Son, and Chubb's global cyber-solutions manager. "Our original cyber-liability insurance product for financial institutions was so successful that we've expanded it to meet the needs of all types of commercial enterprises. Chubb's next generation cyber-liability insurance solution addresses the growing risks associated with conducting business electronically, from identity theft to e-business interruption. It offers virtually any company-from large to small-broad cyber coverage and several options to customize coverage to meet the organization's needs."

The Verizon 2009 Data Breach Investigation Report found that size does not matter to cyber criminals-50% of companies hit by a cyber breach had 1,000 or fewer employees. The Ponemon Institute 2009 Annual Study found that as many as 85% of U.S. organizations, from private corporations to government agencies, may have been hit by one or more data breaches within the past 12 months.

CyberSecurity by ChubbSM consists of third-party (cyber-liability) and first-party (cyber-crime expense) protection in one worldwide policy. Third-party liability insurance provides coverage for:

* disclosure injury, including lawsuits alleging unauthorized access to or dissemination of the plaintiff's private information; * content injury, including suits arising from intellectual property, trademark and/or copyright infringement; * reputational injury, including lawsuits alleging disparagement of products or services, libel, slander, defamation and invasion of privacy; * conduit injury, including suits due to system security failures that result in harm to third-party systems; and * impaired access injury, including suits arising from system security failure resulting in an insured's system being unavailable to its customers.

CyberSecurity by Chubb buyers may also select from six optional first-party cyber coverages such as privacy notification expenses. Many states require companies to notify all their customers if a breach is even suspected; these costs are estimated at up to $30 or more per customer. Privacy notification expenses will pay for costs to notify and monitor the credit of affected customers, even when not required by the state. Other coverages include crisis management and reward expenses, e-business interruption, e-communication loss, e-theft and e-vandalism expenses.

"A company's existing policy most likely will not help protect against these data security exposures or may only offer protection for specific exposures, leaving gaps in their coverage," said Vispoli. "A cyber-insurance policy should be an indispensable part of any company's risk management program."

Chubb has been insuring cyber-security risks for complex financial institutions since 2001. The member insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies form a multi-billion dollar organization providing property and casualty insurance for personal and commercial customers worldwide through 5,000 agents and brokers. Chubb's global network includes branches and affiliates throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia.