HP prepares 'E-insurance' against hacker attacks

NEWS HP will this week launch an insurance service designed to protect its customers from malicious Internet attacks. The E-insurance policy, underwritten by US firm J S Wurzler, will protect companies against loss of revenue when sites are deliberately damaged or brought down by hackers. The move follows high-profile denial-of-service attacks earlier this month against top e-tailers including eBay, Amazon.com and Yahoo!. "We want to offer a total solution to our customers, but it would be very difficult for HP, on its own, to take responsibility for all attacks and downtime - liability is not our business," said Mark Maby, mission critical solutions manager at HP, The company hopes this partnership with Wurzler will provide customers with more confidence. According to Maby, this is a new direction for vendors but one that he is confident will become more popular. "We have seen a demand for liability assurance. Customers want sufficient liabilities in place and we're trying to make that easier. "Traditionally end-to-end solutions meant technology, service and support," he added, "Now we're moving towards transactional services as well." Wurzler was founded in 1998 to create dedicated Internet technology insurance programs. Insurance giant Lloyds of London underwrite many of the company's policies. E-insurance offers a maximum coverage of $2m at an annual premium of $57,000. Anyone wanting to apply for coverage must be a member of HP user association, Interex, and must undergo HP security checks to establish a secure environment first. The policy will be available from May.