Every week, we speak with providers who are doing their best to run safe, reliable and people-centred NDIS services. But the admin load is heavy — emails, invoices, reports, participant notes, behaviour plans, bank details.
This is exactly the kind of information cyber criminals target. Currently, they’re targeting NDIS providers more than ever.
Cyber insurance is no longer optional. It’s part of being a safe, trustworthy and resilient provider.
Why the NDIS sector is targeted
Support coordinators, support companies, therapy practices, plan management teams, community access programs all have a number of things in common:
- You store detailed personal information.
- You process invoices and payments.
- You communicate constantly by email and SMS.
- Many teams work remotely or use mobile devices.
This makes the disability companies a high-value target for cyber criminals. A single breach can expose addresses, behaviour support plans, reports, health information, Medicare numbers, even bank details.
For NDIS businesses, the fallout isn’t just technical — it’s emotional. Participants trust you with incredibly personal parts of their lives.
Why NDIS providers urgently need cyber insurance
Here’s the part most NDIS businesses don’t realise until it’s too late:
An NDIS provider holds more sensitive information than most healthcare clinics.
That makes you a high-value target.
We’ve heard of these examples just this year:
- A support coordination team locked out of all participant notes for 9 days
- A therapy clinic hacked through a contractor’s email
- A rogue invoice sent from a compromised inbox — $8,400 gone
- A small SIL provider hit by ransom demands they simply couldn't afford
Every time this happens, it’s not just a technology problem — it becomes a participant safety problem, a compliance problem and a reputation problem.
Cyber insurance steps in when everything else fails.
CLICK FOR AN INSTANT QUOTE
You will need:
1. Your ABN and an estimate of your Yearly Income (How do I calculate this?)
2. TIP: You will find the CYBER INSURANCE option within the list of "Other Covers"
Why size doesn’t matter — who actually needs cyber insurance?
Our insurnace partners tell us that they see this belief a lot:
“We’re a small provider, nobody would target us.”
Unfortunately, the opposite is true.
Small providers are targeted more often
You usually have:
- Fewer IT protections
- Less internal cyber training
- More staff working across phones, laptops and shared systems
- Higher workloads and faster communication — which leads to more mistakes
The majority of successful cyber attacks in Australia hit small-to-medium businesses, not large corporations.
Medium and large NDIS providers are high-risk for another reason
You hold:
- Large participant databases
- Multiple staff accounts
- High invoice volume
- More integrated software systems
This gives attackers more ways in — and much more valuable data.
If you are any of the following, you should have cyber insurance today:
- A sole trader support worker, therapist or coordinator
- A small team provider (2–15 staff)
- A medium-sized business (15–50 staff)
- A large disability organisation
- A business that stores participant information digitally
- A business using email, CRMs, cloud platforms or mobile devices
- A provider who invoices the NDIS, support coordinators or plan managers
- Anyone holding or processing sensitive documents
If you’re an NDIS provider, cyber insurance is appropriate — and increasingly expected.
CLICK FOR AN INSTANT QUOTE
You will need:
1. Your ABN and an estimate of your Yearly Income (How do I calculate this?)
2. TIP: You will find the CYBER INSURANCE option within the list of "Other Covers"
What cyber insurance actually covers
Cyber insurance isn’t just a payout after something goes wrong. It usually includes two parts:
Immediate response and recovery
Most policies help with:
- Data recovery (getting your systems and files back)
- IT forensics to work out what was accessed
- Crisis management to reduce the impact
- Legal advice on what your obligations are
- Public relations support if your reputation is affected
These are exactly the steps small and medium NDIS providers struggle with when an attack hits.
Financial protection
You’re typically covered for:
- Business interruption (lost revenue while you can’t operate)
- Costs of notifying affected participants and staff
- Regulatory fines or penalties where lawful
- Costs related to privacy breaches
- Fraudulent invoice payments caused by email compromise
We see this last one a lot — a provider’s email gets hacked and the hacker changes bank details on invoices. Without cyber cover, that money is gone.
How cyber insurance helps with NDIS compliance
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission expects providers to keep participant information safe and secure. While the Commission doesn’t require cyber insurance, it does require:
- Strong data protection practices
- Secure storage of participant information
- Fast action if a breach occurs
- Proper reporting and record keeping
- Cyber insurance supports all of this by giving you:
- Access to specialist incident responders
- Practical guidance on what to report and when
- Funding to fix issues quickly
For many providers, this is the difference between a stressful week… and a full shutdown.
What to look for in a Cyber Insurance policy
When you’re choosing a policy, make sure it includes:
- Coverage for third-party data breaches
Because NDIS providers often use multiple apps, portals, CRM systems and cloud platforms.
- Coverage for human error
Most breaches happen because someone clicked a link or sent information to the wrong person.
- Coverage for invoice fraud and email compromise
This is one of the biggest financial risks for small NDIS providers.
- Business interruption cover
If you can’t access your notes, you can’t deliver supports. That means a real loss of income.
- 24/7 incident response
A cyber attack at 3am can’t wait until business hours.
CLICK FOR AN INSTANT QUOTE
You will need:
1. Your ABN and an estimate of your Yearly Income (How do I calculate this?)
2. TIP: You will find the CYBER INSURANCE option within the list of "Other Covers"
Simple steps you can take today
Even with insurance, prevention matters. Here’s what we tell providers every week:
- Turn on multi-factor authentication everywhere.
- Update your devices (yes, those annoying updates matter).
- Train your team to spot scams — most breaches come from one accidental click.
- Back up your files off-site or in secure cloud systems.
- Review who has access to participant information.
- Have an incident plan — even a simple checklist is better than nothing.
Cyber insurance won’t replace good practice — but it strengthens your safety net.
CLICK FOR AN INSTANT QUOTE
You will need:
1. Your ABN and an estimate of your Yearly Income (How do I calculate this?)
2. TIP: You will find the CYBER INSURANCE option within the list of "Other Covers"
Start 2026 in a safer position
NDIS businesses operate in an environment where cyber threats are real, frequent and costly.
Because you’re an NDIS provider, you’re holding some of the most sensitive information in Australia. You deserve the right protection in place.
Cyber insurance won’t prevent an attack — but it will protect your business, support your team and safeguard the participants who rely on you.
*As with any insurance, cover is subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in your policy document. The information on this webpage is general only and should not be relied upon as advice.
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