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AI deployments are widening cyber risk scrutiny for insurance brokers
Travelers’ cyber risk head said ransomware groups are already using AI to work more efficiently once they gain access to networks.
As businesses race to adopt artificial intelligence, insurance brokers are being urged to treat AI deployment as a new and growing cyber exposure, because the same tools can also help attackers after they enter a company’s systems, according to Insurance Business.
Lauren Winchester, head of cyber risk services at Travelers, said ransomware threat actors are already using AI to operate more efficiently, and in some cases can also leverage generative AI tools that are present inside a target environment. She noted that while AI platforms may not be the initial entry point, they can provide additional ways for intruders to navigate systems, process stolen information, or speed up later stages of an incident.
Winchester said the risk is becoming more relevant as organizations add third-party AI applications and internally developed large language models to everyday operations. She added that brokers may know a client uses AI without having full visibility into which employees can access it, what data is being entered, or how the technology connects to other systems, which creates inside risk if AI governance is not established.
In cyber renewal discussions, she said the focus has traditionally been on controls such as multifactor authentication, endpoint detection, backups, and patching, but brokers should now ask how AI is being deployed, the business purposes it serves, and what work has been done to identify the associated risks, Insurance Business reported. Winchester said those questions can reveal exposures that extend beyond an approved enterprise platform.