About Dr. Clare Ryan

Dr. Clare Ryan is the founder of ITUS Protect, a cyber risk management solution for SMEs with embedded cyber insurance. She holds Certified Data Protect Officer (CDPO) status in addition to her PhD and MA. She has extensive experience in data governance and project management. She has previously worked with wide range of stakeholders including lobbying for societal changes in higher education policies. ITUS protect is an award winning start-up, being named Zurich’s Innovation Champion in Ireland, NCSC UK Cyber Den winner and a finalist in Lloyds Labs Cohort 16.

The New Cyber Regulators: How Insurance Underwrites Are Quietly Setting the Red Lines for Cyber Resilience

Cyber resilience is debated extensively not only as a technical and governance challenge, but also as an economic issue. One of the most influential factors impacting the actual cyber security behaviours of the people is outside traditional cybersecurity professionals: cyber insurance underwriting. In her presentation, Dr. Clare Ryan suggests that cyber insurance underwriters are becoming the de facto standard, setters for minimum acceptable cyber resilience, especially for SMEs (small and medium, sized enterprises). Due to the rising ransomware losses, systemic cyber risk, and claims volatility, insurers have limited the use of personal underwritings, exclusions, and conditional coverage clauses. Clare will examine these issues based on the recent UK and EU research, insurance market data, and regulatory analysis.