Card Skimming Attacks
The loss of funds due to a physical or digital card skimmer placed on your payment terminal collecting customer debit or credit card information.
Coverage
Cyber Liability Insurance for Convenience Stores
Protect your retail business from POS card hacks, skimmers, and payment data breaches.
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Cyber liability insurance for convenience stores, also known as cybersecurity insurance, protects against the immediate losses caused by a payment system breach or data breach. If an attacker targets your store, this policy pays for forensic investigations, mandatory customer notifications, legal defense fees, and card network penalties. Cyber protection is crucial for small retailers that process credit card transactions, which are the primary targets of point-of-sale attacks.
What's covered
What Cyber Liability Covers
A POS data breach insurance policy shields your store from actual losses and third-party liability after a data breach. The following areas are particularly important for convenience stores:
Know the gaps
What It Doesn't Cover
Cyber liability covers data breaches and network security failures, but it does not cover the following:
Do you need it
Who Needs Cyber Liability Insurance
Many store owners ask, “does a convenience store need cyber insurance if we are just a small shop?” The answer is yes. All convenience stores with credit or debit card processing through a POS system have cyber exposure.
Independent, single-location retailers are often a favorite target for cybercriminals. Small businesses are regarded as easy targets by hackers since they don't have enterprise-level firewalls like large retail stores. Thousands of dollars can be spent on forensic fees and card association fines just because of one terminal that was compromised at an independent store.
Pricing
What Cyber Liability Insurance Costs
Your cyber liability cost small business premium depends on annual card transaction volume, your POS system type, data retention practices, and PCI compliance status. Stores that store minimal customer data and maintain updated payment hardware receive lower rates.
The average cost of a cyber liability policy or cybersecurity endorsement on a retail insurance policy is $300 to $800 per year ($25 to $67 per month) for a single-location convenience store. See our full convenience store insurance cost guide for the specifics on the factors that affect rates.
What a claim looks like
Example Claim
An inside card skimmer that is connected to a checkout counter gathers card information prior to detection by employee presence over a period of several weeks. The resulting security breach triggers $15,000 in mandatory IT forensic investigations, customer notification mailings, and payment network assessment penalties. Cyber liability insurance protects the store's operating cash flow by reimbursing the expenses incurred during a response and legal fees.
How it fits
How It Fits With Your Other Coverage
Cyber liability is a standalone cyber policy or cyber endorsement. Typical insurance policies, such as a Business Owner's Policy (BOP) and general liability insurance, have a specific exclusion for data breaches and payment system hacks.
The power of choice
We shop 30+ A-rated carriers so you don't have to.
- Travelers
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Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my small store really a target for cyber attacks?
Yes. Automated scanning tools are applicable to all types of stores, not just big chain locations. Small stores are a typical target because they are thought to have less robust security in place, and it is likely they would have an older POS system than enterprise stores would.
Does my general liability policy cover a data breach?
No, standard general liability policies do not protect against bodily injuries or damages to tangible property. These have specific cyber exclusions and won't cover fines for the card brands due to a data breach, notification expenses, or any forensic investigations.
Get Covered
Protect your register, payment system, and customer records from expensive card breaches and POS hacks. Contact our professional commercial insurance agents to cover your store with a cyber liability policy from Insure C-Store today.