What is the Cyber Defense Score™?

The Cyber Defense Score™ is an A–F letter grade plus a 0–100 numerical score produced by a 100-tool external attack surface scan. It shows you exactly what cyber insurance underwriters see when they assess your business. It is mapped to NIST CSF 2.0, CIS Controls, SOC 2, NIST 800-171, FTC Safeguards Rule, and PCI-DSS readiness.

How does Cyber Defense Agent help with cyber insurance?

Cyber Defense Agent runs the same external scans that cyber insurance underwriters use to assess your risk. By scanning first, you can identify and fix gaps (missing MFA, DMARC, open ports, SSL issues) BEFORE your renewal or new application. This helps you avoid denials, reduce premiums, and pass underwriting on the first attempt.

What do cyber insurance underwriters scan for?

Underwriters typically scan for: MFA enforcement across all remote access, DMARC/SPF/DKIM email authentication, open RDP ports (3389), SSL/TLS configuration, known vulnerabilities in public-facing services, DNS security, and evidence of endpoint detection (EDR). Cyber Defense Agent checks all of these in 60 seconds.

Can Cyber Defense Agent help me lower my cyber insurance premium?

Yes. Carriers offer premium discounts of 10–25% for businesses that demonstrate strong security posture. By fixing the gaps Cyber Defense Agent identifies and presenting your Cyber Defense Score™ and trust page to your broker, you provide concrete evidence of risk reduction that carriers reward with lower premiums.

Why was my cyber insurance application denied?

The most common denial reasons are: no MFA on email and remote access (41% of denials), missing DMARC email authentication, open RDP ports, no EDR/endpoint protection, and no incident response plan. Cyber Defense Agent scans for all of these and shows you exactly what to fix before reapplying.

How long does a Cyber Defense Agent scan take?

A full 100-tool external attack surface scan completes in approximately 60 seconds. No software installation, no questionnaires, and no credit card is required to get started. You see the same view of your attack surface that underwriters see.

What frameworks does Cyber Defense Agent map to?

Cyber Defense Agent maps scan results to NIST CSF 2.0, CIS Controls, SOC 2, NIST 800-171, FTC Safeguards Rule, and PCI-DSS readiness. These are the same frameworks cyber insurance carriers reference in their underwriting guidelines.

How much does Cyber Defense Agent cost?

Essentials starts at $149/mo ($1,490/yr). Pro is $349/mo ($3,490/yr) and includes internal scanning, SOC 2 readiness, and full MCP toolset. Enterprise is $999/mo ($9,990/yr) with daily scans, custom framework mapping, and a dedicated AI agent instance. MSP partners pay $79/business/mo with a 25-business minimum. The free scan is always free.

How do I prepare for cyber insurance renewal?

Start 60–90 days before renewal. Run a Cyber Defense Agent scan to identify gaps. Fix critical items: enforce MFA everywhere, deploy DMARC, close open ports, update EDR. Re-scan to verify improvements. Present your Cyber Defense Score™ and trust page to your broker as evidence of improved posture. This positions you for renewal without premium increases or coverage reductions.

What is a trust page?

A trust page is a public cybersecurity posture page hosted at trust.cyberdefenseagent.ai/{your-slug}. It displays your Cyber Defense Score™, framework compliance status, and last scan date. Brokers, underwriters, and business partners can verify your security posture in 60 seconds instead of reviewing 30-page questionnaires.

Definitive Guide

Cyber Insurance Requirements in 2026

What cyber insurance carriers require for approval in 2026. The controls, evidence, and documentation you need.

Farhad Mirza Khawar

Founder of HIPAA Agent and Cyber Defense Agent. Compliance infrastructure for SMBs. Sacramento, CA.

2026-05-01

Get My Cyber Defense Score™ →Book a 30-min review

In this guide

1. The 2026 underwriting landscape
2. Mandatory controls for 2026 approval
3. Preparing for underwriting with CDA

The 2026 underwriting landscape

Cyber insurance underwriting has transformed dramatically. In 2020, getting coverage was easy — fill out a short application and pay the premium. In 2026, carriers require extensive evidence of security controls before issuing policies. Key trends: - 96% of carriers require enforced MFA - 3 of 4 carriers run external scans during underwriting - 41% of applications are denied on first submission - Average premiums have doubled since 2020 - Deductibles have increased 50-100% - Sublimits and exclusions are more common The message is clear: carriers only want to insure businesses that take security seriously.

Mandatory controls for 2026 approval

These controls are now effectively mandatory for cyber insurance approval: Tier 1 (Required by virtually all carriers): - Enforced MFA for remote access and email - Email authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) - EDR on all endpoints - Regular, tested backups (preferably immutable) - Written incident response plan Tier 2 (Required by most carriers): - Security awareness training with phishing simulation - Patch management within 30 days for critical vulnerabilities - Privileged access management - Network segmentation - Vendor risk management Tier 3 (Increasingly required): - Continuous monitoring and vulnerability scanning - SOC or SIEM for log monitoring - Cyber risk quantification - Supply chain security assessment - Board-level cybersecurity reporting

Preparing for underwriting with CDA

Cyber Defense Agent helps you prepare for the underwriting process: 1. Pre-underwriting scan — Run your scan before engaging with carriers. Know your posture. 2. Gap remediation — Fix the issues carriers will flag. Our scan identifies exactly what to prioritize. 3. Evidence package — Trust page, framework mapping, and scan results provide the evidence carriers need. 4. Questionnaire automation — Complete carrier questionnaires accurately using real scan data. 5. Broker communication — Share your Cyber Defense Score with your broker to negotiate from strength. Businesses that prepare with CDA have significantly higher approval rates and lower premiums than those who apply without evidence.

Key Takeaways

TL;DR

MFA, email auth, EDR, backups, and incident response are non-negotiable for 2026 coverage.

Carriers verify controls — 75% run their own scans during underwriting.

41% of applications are denied, mostly for lack of demonstrated controls.

Prepare before applying: scan, remediate, then approach carriers with evidence.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I get cyber insurance without MFA?

In 2026, it's virtually impossible. 96% of carriers require enforced MFA as a condition of coverage. Some carriers will decline to quote entirely without MFA evidence. Implementing MFA is the single most impactful step you can take.

Do carriers accept Cyber Defense Agent as evidence?

Yes. Cyber Defense Agent's trust page, framework mapping, and continuous monitoring evidence are accepted by carriers across the market. Our evidence is based on external scanning of actual controls — not self-attestation — which is exactly what carriers want to see.

What if my application is denied?

Don't panic. Most denials are fixable. Run a Cyber Defense Agent scan to identify the gaps, remediate them (typically 2-4 weeks for critical issues), then reapply with evidence of improvement. Many businesses go from denial to approval within 30-60 days.

Related Guides

Continue reading

How to Complete a Cyber Insurance Security Questionnaire How to Lower Your Cyber Insurance Premium Cyber Insurance Application Denied — What to Do

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