Insurance Agencies — Illinois Insurance Data Security Law

Data Security Compliance for Insurance Agencies in Illinois

Since 2024, every licensee of the Illinois Department of Insurance falls under the Insurance Data Security Law. We tell you exactly which parts apply to your agency, then put in place the program, the safeguards, and the incident plan the law expects, at a fixed price.

What the rule requires

What the Illinois Insurance Data Security Law requires

The law (215 ILCS 215, Public Act 103-0142) took effect on January 1, 2024 and applies to licensees of the Illinois Department of Insurance, including agencies and producers.

A written information security program

Based on a risk assessment, with safeguards such as access controls, encryption, staff training, and an incident response plan. Required since January 1, 2025, and oversight of your third-party service providers since January 1, 2026.

215 ILCS 215/10

Investigate every cybersecurity event

When an event may have occurred, you must promptly investigate it: what happened, which information was involved, and what was done to restore security.

215 ILCS 215/15

Notify the Director within 3 business days

If the event involves nonpublic information of 250 or more Illinois consumers, or Illinois is your home state and harm is reasonably likely, you must notify the Director of Insurance no later than 3 business days after determining it occurred.

215 ILCS 215/20

Agencies with fewer than 50 employees, including independent contractors, are exempt from the written program requirement (Section 10). They are not exempt from investigating cybersecurity events or from the 3-business-day notice to the Department of Insurance. We tell you exactly which case applies to your agency.

What we review

Your agency, from the AMS to the inbox

  • Where client data lives: agency management system, comparative raters, carrier portals, email, e-signature, cloud storage
  • Multi-factor authentication on email, the AMS, carrier portals, and remote access
  • Email security: phishing protection, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC on your domain
  • Encryption of client data on laptops, backups, and when sent by email
  • User accounts: shared logins, producers who leave, contractors and CSRs
  • Third-party service providers: AMS vendor, IT provider, marketing and lead tools
  • Incident response: who investigates, who notifies the Department, and how fast
What you receive

Documentation for your compliance file

  • Clear answer on which sections of the law apply to your agency
  • Incident response plan with the Illinois DOI notification steps
  • Risk assessment and written information security program (50+ employees)
  • Third-party service provider review
  • Prioritized list of fixes, with quick wins first
  • Owner summary for your compliance file and your E&O carrier
How it works

From first call to final report

1

Free 20-minute call

We confirm your headcount, your systems, and which parts of the law apply to your agency.

2

Review

We review your AMS, email, accounts, and vendors, remotely or on site, around your busy renewal periods.

3

Program and plan

We write your incident response plan and, if you have 50 or more employees, your full information security program.

4

Walkthrough

We present the results and fixes to you, and help you keep the program current every year.

Packages

Fixed prices, quoted before any work starts

Starting prices for a typical small office. Your written quote sets the final price after the free call.

Cyber Readiness Check

$950one-time
  • For agencies with fewer than 50 employees
  • MFA, email, and account security review
  • External exposure check of your domain
  • Incident response plan with DOI notification steps
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Information Security Program

$3,500one-time
  • For agencies with 50 or more employees
  • Written risk assessment
  • Written information security program
  • Third-party service provider review
  • Incident response plan
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Annual Program Update & Certification Support

$1,500per year
  • Yearly risk assessment update
  • Updated program and incident plan
  • Annual report to ownership
  • Support for the April 15 certification (Illinois-domiciled insurers)
Request a Quote

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FAQ

Insurance data security: questions from agency owners

Does the Illinois Insurance Data Security Law apply to my agency?

The law applies to licensees of the Illinois Department of Insurance, which includes insurance agencies and producers. What changes from one agency to another is which sections apply, mainly based on your number of employees.

We have fewer than 50 employees. Are we exempt?

Partly. Agencies with fewer than 50 employees, including independent contractors, are exempt from the written information security program (Section 10). You must still investigate any cybersecurity event and notify the Department of Insurance within 3 business days when the notification conditions are met.

When do we have to notify the Department of Insurance?

No later than 3 business days after determining that a cybersecurity event occurred, if the nonpublic information of 250 or more Illinois consumers is involved, or if Illinois is your home state and the event is reasonably likely to cause material harm. The Department asks that notices be sent to DOI.DataSecurity@illinois.gov.

Our agency management system is in the cloud. Is security the vendor's job?

Your vendor secures its platform, but the law makes licensees with a written program responsible for overseeing their third-party service providers, a requirement in effect since January 1, 2026. Weak passwords, shared logins, or no multi-factor authentication on your side remain your responsibility.

Do captive agents need their own program?

An employee, agent, or representative of a licensee who is covered by that licensee's information security program does not need a separate program. Independent agencies need to look at their own situation.

What does a cybersecurity event look like for an agency?

Most often a hacked email account used to send fake payment or policy change requests, ransomware on the office network, or a lost laptop holding client files. Our incident response plan tells your team exactly what to do in each case.

Find out what the law requires from your agency

A free 20-minute call to identify what applies to you, with no commitment.

Book Your Free 20-Minute Call

Not ready to talk yet? Take the free 2-minute Readiness Check →