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CYBER & OT INSURANCE THAT KEEPS YOUR PRODUCTION MOVING
Why Cyber & OT Risk Is Different in Manufacturing
Manufacturing businesses face a unique cyber threat profile. Unlike office-based cyber incidents, an OT-focused attack can stop production lines, damage equipment, corrupt recipes/parameters, trigger safety shutdowns, and create major contractual and supply-chain disruption.
Modern engineering sites often run a blend of IT and OT: ERP/MRP systems, CAD/CAM, production scheduling, PLCs, SCADA, HMIs, sensors, robotics, remote maintenance tools and supplier portals. When these are disrupted, the cost isn’t just “data recovery” — it’s downtime, missed deliveries, rework, scrap, expediting expenses and reputational damage.
Insure24 helps engineering and manufacturing firms arrange cyber insurance designed for operational technology realities, including incident response, ransomware recovery, cyber business interruption and specialist support.
What Cyber, IP & OT Insurance Can Cover
Cyber policies vary significantly between insurers. The key is structuring cover around your real exposures: production downtime, critical systems, outsourced IT providers, supply-chain dependencies, and the commercial value of your intellectual property (designs, drawings, firmware, manufacturing know-how).
Below are common cover sections and how they apply to engineering and manufacturing operations. We’ll help you select the right limits, waiting periods and extensions for your business.
- Incident Response & Forensics – Access to specialists to investigate, contain and remediate attacks.
- Ransomware & Cyber Extortion – Support with negotiation, recovery, restoration and (where covered) extortion payments.
- Cyber Business Interruption – Covers loss of income and extra expenses following a cyber event that disrupts operations.
- Data Breach & Privacy – Costs of notification, legal advice, and regulatory response where personal data is impacted.
- Network Security Liability – Claims from third parties due to security failures (e.g., malware transmission, system compromise).
- System Restoration – Rebuild systems, restore backups, reimage endpoints, recover corrupted data and configurations.
- Digital Media & Reputation – PR/crisis communications (varies by insurer) to protect brand and customer confidence.
- Social Engineering / Payment Fraud – Protection for invoice redirection and business email compromise losses (optional with many insurers).
OT-Specific Exposures Manufacturers Should Address
OT environments often include legacy systems, specialist machinery software, remote access tools, and production dependencies that create unique failure modes. Even when no personal data is compromised, operational disruption can be severe.
Production Downtime & Recovery
A ransomware event that locks production scheduling, PLC interfaces, or quality systems can stop output immediately. Recovery may require specialist engineers, re-commissioning, retesting and validation — not just “IT support”.
- Loss of income due to halted or reduced production
- Extra expense: overtime, third-party manufacturing, expedited shipping
- Costs to restore OT configurations and control parameters
- Rework, scrap and quality assurance retesting (varies by wording)
- Waiting periods and indemnity periods tailored to your cycles
Remote Access & Supplier Compromise
Manufacturers frequently rely on third parties: MSPs, machinery vendors, integrators, and software suppliers. Remote access can be a weak point if not controlled and monitored.
- Third-party provider compromise and knock-on disruption
- Dependent business interruption (supplier outages) options
- Coverage for forensic investigation into supply-chain entry points
- Vendor impersonation and payment diversion fraud options
- Contract and incident notification requirements support
Intellectual Property, CAD/CAM & Trade Secrets
Engineering firms often hold high-value designs and know-how: CAD drawings, tooling files, firmware, recipes, tolerances, and manufacturing processes. Cyber events can involve theft, destruction or extortion.
- Incident response to assess data exfiltration risk
- Crisis communications to customers and stakeholders (where covered)
- Legal support to manage contractual obligations and reporting
- Options to cover extortion threats to publish stolen data
- Practical guidance on access controls and segregation of IP
Regulatory & Contractual Pressure
Even where personal data is limited, manufacturers may face contractual obligations (OEMs, aerospace, automotive supply chains) requiring incident reporting, minimum security standards, and evidence of controls.
- Legal and regulatory response support where applicable
- Customer contract compliance and notification assistance
- Coverage structures aligned to tender requirements
- Support documenting incidents and remediation steps
- Options to align with governance frameworks (where relevant)
Common Cyber Incidents in Engineering & Manufacturing
Cyber incidents in manufacturing are often about operational impact. Below are typical scenarios we see across engineering supply chains and industrial operations.
Ransomware Shuts Down Production Systems
A ransomware infection spreads from an endpoint into shared services used by production planning and OT integration. The business can’t schedule jobs, issue pick lists or run control interfaces, halting production.
- Forensics and containment support
- System restoration and rebuild
- Cyber business interruption (loss of income)
- Extra expense to keep deliveries moving
Invoice Redirection / Email Compromise
A supplier account is compromised and bank details are changed. Payments are sent to a fraudulent account before the issue is identified.
- Social engineering / funds transfer options (policy-dependent)
- Incident response and investigation support
- Improved verification controls to prevent repeat loss
- Customer/supplier communications guidance
Data Exfiltration & Extortion
Attackers steal sensitive files (drawings, BOMs, customer data) and threaten to publish unless a payment is made. The business must respond quickly, preserve evidence and manage communications carefully.
- Forensic investigation and breach response coordination
- Legal guidance on notification and contractual duties
- Extortion response support (policy-dependent)
- PR/crisis comms options (varies)
Supplier/Provider Outage Disrupts Operations
A key software provider or IT managed service is hit by a cyber incident. Your operations are disrupted, even if your internal network remains secure.
- Dependent business interruption extensions (where available)
- Extra expense to maintain output and deliveries
- Incident response coordination with suppliers
- Business continuity planning improvements
When we had a cyber incident, downtime was the biggest threat. Insure24 helped us put cover in place that focused on production interruption and rapid recovery.
Operations Director, UK Engineering ManufacturerHow to Improve Cyber & OT Insurance Terms
Cyber insurers often assess your controls before offering terms. The goal is not perfection — it’s demonstrating sensible, documented, and consistently applied risk management. These practical steps can reduce risk and help insurers price more confidently.
OT & Network Controls
- Segmentation between IT and OT networks
- Controlled remote access (MFA, logging, time-limited access)
- Patch and vulnerability management plan (including legacy systems)
- Backups tested for restoration (including OT configs)
- Endpoint protection and monitoring on critical assets
Business Readiness
- Incident response plan and tabletop exercises
- Staff training for phishing and payment verification
- Access control (least privilege) and strong password policies
- Supplier due diligence and contract clauses for security
- Documented recovery priorities (what must come back first)
How to Get Cyber, IP & OT Insurance
We’ll guide you through a straightforward process that focuses on your operational reality — production systems, key dependencies, and the financial impact of downtime — so the policy is structured to respond when it matters.
- 1. Scope your systems – IT, OT, remote access, critical suppliers and dependencies.
- 2. Define your downtime exposure – what a day/week of interruption costs your business.
- 3. Review current controls – MFA, backups, segmentation, patching, monitoring and incident readiness.
- 4. Compare specialist insurers – we target markets that understand manufacturing OT risk.
- 5. Bind cover – documentation issued with ongoing support for changes and renewals.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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What is OT cyber insurance for manufacturers?
OT cyber insurance focuses on the operational impact of cyber events in manufacturing environments.
It can cover incident response and recovery, ransomware, cyber business interruption, and associated
costs where a cyber event disrupts production systems and operations (subject to policy terms).
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Does cyber insurance cover ransomware and extortion?
Many policies include ransomware and cyber extortion sections, which can provide access to specialists
for negotiation, forensics and recovery. Whether extortion payments are covered depends on the insurer
and policy wording, and exclusions/conditions may apply.
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Will cyber insurance cover loss of income if production stops?
Cyber business interruption can cover loss of income and extra expenses following a cyber event that
disrupts operations, subject to waiting periods, limits and policy terms. The right structure depends
on your production cycles and how quickly you can recover.
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Does cyber insurance protect intellectual property (IP)?
Cyber insurance can help with incident response, forensics, legal support and crisis management where
sensitive data may be accessed or stolen. “IP value loss” is often complex and not automatically covered,
but policies can help manage the event, liabilities and costs of responding (policy-dependent).
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What is social engineering cover?
Social engineering cover can protect against losses where staff are deceived into transferring funds
(invoice redirection/impersonation). It is often an optional extension, with specific conditions around
verification procedures and sub-limits.
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What information do you need to quote?
Typically: turnover, number of endpoints/users, key systems, use of remote access, backup approach,
MFA status, outsourced IT providers, incident history, and your estimated downtime exposure.
We’ll keep the process practical and focused on what underwriters need.
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Can I get cover if I have legacy OT systems?
Often yes, but you must disclose what you run and how it is protected. Insurers may ask about segmentation,
monitoring, patching workarounds, and how remote access is controlled. We can help position the risk and
identify sensible improvements to support underwriting.
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How quickly can cyber insurance respond to an incident?
Many policies provide access to incident response support immediately once you notify the insurer’s
claims/response hotline. Response speed depends on the policy and insurer arrangements. Early notification
is crucial, especially where production interruption is developing.