Carriers are requiring more from insurance agents, and most agencies are missing one basic thing they don’t even know about: a cyber insurance MFA requirement now sitting quietly inside their policy conditions.
PIA Connection magazine dedicated a major feature in their 2026 Issue 1 to detailing where cyber insurance stands right now. The cyber market has matured. What used to feel like something only large companies needed has become the expected baseline for any business that handles client data.
💡 “Small does not mean invisible. In cybercrime, small means easier to get into.”
Here is the part that every agent needs to hear.
A specialist interviewed for the article has been working on cyber risk for years. He stated that five years ago, he was explaining to clients what multi-factor authentication even was. Today, he puts it simply: if you do not have it, you effectively do not have cyber insurance.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a two-step login process. You sign into your email, and your phone sends you a quick code to confirm it is really you. That’s it. Thirty seconds of setup.
Carriers are now treating it as a minimum requirement for your coverage to be valid. Not a recommendation. A requirement.
And that is just the starting point. Expect to hear these terms soon:
Let me make this as practical as possible.
Whether you are a solo agent with one laptop or an agency owner with twenty employees, you hold the same type of sensitive data that large companies spend millions to protect.
You already know insurance. Insurance pays for the aftermath when something goes wrong. Every agency should have it, and you also know that approvals mean meeting the controls carriers expect before the incident.
Cyber insurance covers the damage after an attack. Cybersecurity prevents the attack from happening in the first place.
You need someone watching your environment around the clock, stopping threats before they become your problem, and giving you the documentation that proves your agency was protected.
Covered from every angle. Lower premiums because of it. The peace of mind that comes from knowing your agency is not the weak link that puts your clients, carriers, and the people who trust you most at risk.
If you are not sure whether your current controls meet what your carrier requires, that is the first question worth answering before your next renewal.
If you want to know exactly where your agency stands, our assessment is the right place to start.
A free Cyber Assessment is a short review of your agency’s current security controls measured against what carriers now require for cyber insurance coverage. It takes one conversation and shows exactly where your gaps are before your next renewal.