InsurSec Podcast

INTRODUCING INSURSEC AFTER DARK WITH TRAVIS KROGER

Austin Karpinski - Sr. Underwriter @ Markel

Kirsten Bay - Co-Founder & CEO of Cysurance

Joe Kingland - CEO at Blue Team Alpha

This week we have Jeremy Turner - Head of Cyber & Risk at Cogility - on the podcast.One for the books!

We're joined by Craig Linton - Cyber and Technology Product Lead and Underwriting Manager at Beazley - on this episode. We cover Craig's background, what he's leading at Beazley, cyber applications, and a lot of AI. Make sure to connect with Craig on LinkedIn!

We've got a good one for you today, folks! Violet Sullivan brings her signature humor and passion to the InsurSec Podcast. We talk all things privacy legislation, insurance industry jokes, the origins of her sticker habit, and more. Her unique career path provides a lot of valuable insights across cybersecurity, privacy law, and now insurance. If you haven't followed her prolific LinkedIn and Twitter presence, do yourself a favor and DO IT!

We're blessed to have Brian Mahon, Cyber Specialist at EHD Insurance on the podcast. He shares insights from his diverse insurance career background. Brian offers some awesome perspectives on the need for improved cybersecurity education, emerging claims trends, the evolution of underwriting requirements, and how new technologies may impact risk management.

Abe and Ryan have the witty Joe Erle, aka Joe Cyber 2.0, on the podcast. We cover everything from gas prices and conspiracy theories to his philosophy on paying ransoms.Joe offers some cool perspectives on niche markets in insurance, the importance of certain policy language, improving risk postures, and why the cyber warranty debate gets him fired up. Connect with Joe Earl on LinkedIn.

Hey there! This week we have Jonathan Lugo, the Young Gun of Real Estate E&O, on the podcast. Listen in as he explains how he rapidly became a real estate insurance specialist starting from a high school internship. He shares insightful perspectives on focusing on niche markets, the value of coverage over price, misconceptions around cyber risk, and attracting young talent to insurance. He also discusses innovative approaches to educating clients and demonstrates how niche expertise enables simplifying complex risks. For anyone interested in learning directly from a rapidly rising insurance star, you won’t want to miss Jonathan's energetic insights on building niche authority.

This week on the InsurSec Podcast, listeners are going on a philosophical exploration of cyber insurance, guided by the wisdom of David Kruse!Drawing on the ideals of Socrates, David advocated for the virtue of self-knowledge, encouraging the insurance industry to examine itself deeply and bring in diverse perspectives. In the spirit of Aristotle, he shone the light of logical analysis on cyber insurance issues, while epitomizing the examined life.Channeling Kant's duty-based ethics, David suggested moral imperatives around ransomware that supersede pure utilitarianism, which Mill might propose. Yet he also embodied the pragmatism of American philosophers like William James in his solutions.As the Dude might abide, or Aristotle opine on virtue between extremes, David walked the middle path between profit and ethics. His unique background combines the care for humanity of Humanists like Erasmus with the logic of Aristotle and systems thinking of Comte.In the tradition of questioning thinkers like Socrates or existentialist Kierkegaard, David forces us to re-examine assumptions about talent, technology and cybersecurity. Like Plato's Philosopher King, he integrates noble ideas and practical realities.So join David on the examined cyber insurance life, connecting with him to further explore the conceptual foundations of our industry.

This week, we've got Dennis Underwood on the show. As the CEO of Cyber Crucible, Underwood brought his extensive experience in cryptography and inventing cybersecurity solutions to shed light on the evolving threat landscape.Throughout the wide-ranging conversation, Dennis offered illuminating insights into how sophisticated ransomware attacks operate today, often mimicking a criminal supply chain model with specialized roles. By communicating directly with attackers, Dennis revealed he has gathered valuable intelligence to stay steps ahead. He also highlighted the immense scale of the problem, with only an estimated 5-7% of ransomware incidents publicly reported.A core focus of the episode was on Dennis' innovative approach to real-time prevention at his company Cyber Crucible. By stopping threats within 200 milliseconds, he aims to make cybersecurity feel routine and reliable for businesses again. Dennis stressed the importance of cyber insurance agents remaining insurance specialists, rather than becoming technical experts. He advocates clear communication of cyber risks and striking the right balance.Touching on his diverse background, Dennis also recounted an amusing anecdote of trying to study cybersecurity materials during military service in extreme heat.Overall, the conversation provided penetrating insights into the evolution of cyber threats and the foremost strategies to harden defenses. Listeners interested in learning more are encouraged to connect with Dennis on LinkedIn.

We're joined by Andy Runyan, the NEW Partner Success Manager at FifthWall Solutions, to provide his perspective on the evolution of the cyber insurance industry. Andy shares his unique journey from education to commercial insurance to finding his niche in cyber.He outlines how the threat landscape has expanded from large enterprises to small businesses, the ongoing challenge of MFA adoption, and the need to improve cyber insurance applications to account for more nuance. Andy explains his vision for working with MSPs to help them leverage cyber insurance to bring value to their clients.Throughout the conversation, Andy stresses the importance of doing cyber insurance the right way and focusing on cybersecurity maturity. He sees a whole lot of room at the table for more agents who want to specialize in this dynamic part of the industry.

Abe was joined by Will Brooks - The Cyber Insurance Evangelist at Fifth Wall Solutions, to lift the curtain on the fast-evolving world of cyber. Will recounts his unique path from ministry to math to wholesale, drawn back to insurance by the tech focus of cyber insurance.He provides an inside look at Fifth Wall and their unique strategy of focusing on cybersecurity maturity by partnering with MSPs. We discuss the education gap amongst agents and the need for basic cyber fluency. Will shares his outlook on the cyber insurance market, the value of verified controls, and his hope for carriers to reward policyholders' cybersecurity investments.Throughout the unfiltered conversation, Will stresses that cyber insurance must be part of an overall cybersecurity strategy. With infectious passion for demystifying cyber, he epitomizes the next generation of our industry. Tune in for an enthusiast's take on bringing clarity to the wild west of cyber insurance!

In this episode, we're joined by Travis Kroger, the "Batman of Cyber Insurance," to discuss his unique approach to cyber insurance. Travis was tasked early on with becoming his agency's cyber expert. Through consistent learning and relationship building, he's excelled in an area most insurance brokers avoid.Travis explains how he partners deeply with clients to implement critical controls and conduct tabletop exercises, bringing tremendous value beyond just policy placement. We discuss the rollercoaster cyber insurance market, the limitations of admitted carriers, and why MGA solutions fill an important gap despite contributing to pricing volatility.Throughout the wide-ranging conversation, Travis drops knowledge on attracting billion-dollar accounts, the overlooked potential in tech E&O, and why cyber will remain a profitable coverage line. With infectious passion for helping clients manage risk, Travis epitomizes the next generation of cyber-focused agents.

In Episode 3 of The InsurSec Podcast, we were joined by Steven Schwartz, aka "The Cyber Steve" aka "The Cyber Risk Quantification Stud" (my favorite), to explore the evolution of cyber insurance and the future of cyber underwriting. With over 15 years in the cyber ecosystem, Steve brings invaluable perspective.He recounts his journey into insurance and the very early days of standalone cyber. We discuss the pros and cons of today's shotgun application process and the need for more standardization. Steve explains how true inside-out data can provide unparalleled risk insights versus outside-in scanning.Steve breaks down how Safe Security is quantifying cyber risk through millions of security signals and turning bits into dollars. We examine the challenges of risk modeling and Steve offers a vision for the next generation of underwriting leveraging transparency, automation, and verified security frameworks.Steve provides practical advice on incrementally improving cyber risk management and the incentives insurers can provide. With Safe, insurers can truly reward insureds for their investments in cybersecurity.This was a conversation for the books.Find Steve on LinkedIn or at [email protected]

Matt Thompson joins us to discuss bridging the gap between cybersecurity and insurance. With over 15 years of experience spanning the Air Force, offensive security, and leading cyber programs, Matt brings invaluable perspective to managing cyber risk.In this episode, Matt explains his transition to insurance, driven by the desire to continue serving organizations against cyber threats. We explore the advantages of red teaming, educating clients on cyber exposures, trends like passwordless authentication, and implications of supply chain vulnerabilities.Matt shares advice for insurance brokers on understanding their role as risk advisors and how new agents can get up to speed on cyber insurance. We also discuss the many nuances of the cyber insurance landscape.With rare insight from both worlds, Matt examines how cybersecurity experience enhances cyber insurance conversations and risk management guidance.Matthew Thomson's Contact Info:LinkedIn | [email protected]

In this episode, we chat with Mercy Komar, an insurance veteran with over 50 years of experience who's earned the nickname "The Cyber Diva" for her cyber insurance expertise. Mercy shares how she first got into the industry right out of high school as a claims clerk, facing challenges as one of the only young women in her office at the time. She recounts her journey into cyber insurance, selling her first policy in 2017, and becoming one of the first 100 people globally to earn the Cyber Insurance Academy certification.Mercy provides advice for attracting more young talent into the insurance industry, emphasizing the importance of mentors and showing the lucrative opportunities available. We discuss the value of women in sales roles and how the industry is changing with hungry, tech-savvy agents. Mercy also shares tips on how she convinces skeptical clients about the need for cyber coverage, focusing first on selling crime insurance and telling local business' stories. She gives practical advice for new agents on learning cyber insurance and stresses keeping explanations simple rather than overwhelming clients with too much technical jargon.Overall, it's a fascinating conversation with a leading expert on how the insurance industry is evolving in the digital age and what the future looks like for cyber insurance careers. Tune in to hear Mercy's wit and wisdom!Mercy's LinkedIn