Digital footprint data is seen to improve cyber claim prediction beyond traditional underwriting factors such as revenue, industry and geography, according to research by Gallagher Re and cyber risk intelligence firm KYND.
The study, titled Digital Footprint Data and Cyber Claims Frequency: Assessing the Predictive Value of Technographic Insights, examines whether a better understanding of an organisation's external digital presence can help cyber insurers assess the likelihood of future claims.
Drawing on Gallagher Re's claims and firmographic data and KYND's external technographic observations across more than 63,000 insured organisations, the study found that digital footprint indicators demonstrated predictive value in isolation, although the strongest results were achieved when technical and traditional underwriting data were combined. Among the most predictive indicators were measures linked to the scale and complexity of an organisation's internet-facing environment, including distinct ISP count, email provider diversity, externally exposed services and IP footprint.
The study also found that companies that are more likely to experience cyber claims are those that have complex and distributed external digital footprints, as measured through indicators such as ISP diversity. This relationship, according to the study, appeared broadly consistent across revenue bands, suggesting that these signals can provide meaningful insight beyond company size. Insurers could incorporate observable indicators of internet-facing complexity into underwriting and portfolio management decisions rather than relying solely on lengthy questionnaires or traditional firmographic information.
"We've spent a lot of time in cyber asking whether the doors are locked, but we've spent much less time asking how big the building is," said Gallagher Re Global Head of Cyber Security Ed Pocock. "Security indicators matter, as do measures like revenue and industry, but they do not capture the size and complexity of an organisation's internet-facing footprint."
He added that the research suggests understanding an organisation's digital footprint carries its own signal for claim frequency beyond established factors, providing an evidence-led starting point for understanding cyber exposure.