Cyber Underwriting Checklist 2026: Mandatory MFA, EDR & Immutable Backups

The Non-Negotiable MFA Mandate

Underwriters no longer accept partial multi-factor authentication. Policies issued in 2026 require enforced MFA on all remote network access (VPN, RDP, Citrix), all cloud administration consoles (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), and all corporate email accounts (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace).

Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) with 24/7 SOC Coverage

Traditional antivirus software results in instant underwriting rejection. Carriers demand behavioral EDR agents (CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint) deployed across at least 95% of corporate endpoints with 24/7 monitoring capabilities.

Immutable Air-Gapped Backups & RTO Testing

Carriers audit whether corporate backup copies can be altered by compromised domain admin credentials. We outline the technical validation requirements for immutable S3 object locking and quarterly recovery time objective (RTO) restoration drills.

Frequently Asked Questions (2026 Benchmark)