Is cyberwarfare war? Insurers balk at paying for some cyberattacks

Lasrick writes: In an era of unceasing cyberattacks, including cases of state-sponsored hacking, insurance companies are beginning to re-interpret an old line in their contracts known as the “war exclusion.” Take the case of snack company Mondelez International, hit in the so-called “NotPetya” attack of 2017. Zurich Insurance rejected a $100 million claim from the company after the White House, in January 2018, attributed the NotPetya attack to the Russian military. Mondelez filed a lawsuit last fall, so the question for Zurich is whether the chain of events that led to NotPetya striking down Mondelez’s network qualifies as warfare. A court ruling in favor of Zurich could make cyberwar much more real, and costly.