N.Y. Gov. Cuomo Inquires on Insurers' Cyber Security

The New York governor has sent letters to 31 insurance companies asking for information on their information security practices.

Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York has sent letters to 31 insurance companies asking about the policies and procedures they have in place to protect against cyber attacks.

The following 31 insurers have been sent the "308 letters," and are legally required to respond:

Aetna
MassMutual
AIG
Members Health Insurance
Allstate
MetLife
AXA Equitable
MVP Health Care
Berkshire Hathaway
Nationwide
Capital District Physicians' Health Plan
New York Life
Chubb
Northwestern Mutual Life
EmblemHealth
The Principal Financial Group
Empire
Progressive
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
Prudential
Guardian Life
State Farm
Healthnow New York
TIAA-CREF
Humana
Tower Group
The Hartford
Travelers
Integrated Healthcare Association
United Health Group
Liberty Mutual

The governor's office is seeking information on:

Any cyber attacks the company has been subject to in the past three years
The cyber security safeguards the company has put in place
The company's information technology management policies
The amount of funds and other resources dedicated to cyber security at their company
The company's governance and internal control policies related to cyber security

"The extraordinarily sensitive health, personal, and financial information that New Yorkers entrust to their insurance companies is a virtual treasure trove for hackers," Cuomo said in a statement. "We're intensely focused on making sure that banks have the protections in place they need, but we always have to keep at least one eye on the lookout for the next big threat. It's vital that we stay ahead of the curve on cyber security because we know hackers aren't going to give us any breathing room."

The office sent similar letters to some of the largest banks in the state earlier this year. Cuomo also instituted a "scorecard" grading how P&C insurers responded to claims related to Hurricane Sandy late last year.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio