Acquisition Overview
On October 22, 2026, EC‑Council announced the acquisition of Cyber Insurance Academy, a Delaware‑registered credentialing body serving the cyber and AI insurance sectors. The Academy will continue operating under its existing brand and leadership as an EC‑Council Company.
Strategic Rationale
The deal expands EC‑Council’s people, process and technology capabilities into the insurance industry at a time when technology is increasingly embedded in underwriting, pricing and claims. EC‑Council aims to bridge the gap between technical expertise and insurance practice by integrating Cyber Insurance Academy’s industry relationships and credentialing expertise.
Leadership Continuity and Expansion
Cyber Insurance Academy will retain its co‑founders as leaders: Guy Simkin (Co‑Founder and CEO) and Asaf Armoni (Co‑Founder, CTO and COO). Under EC‑Council, the Academy will broaden its portfolio beyond cyber insurance to include AI risk, emerging technology risk (such as autonomous systems and quantum computing) and role‑based technology education for insurance professionals.
Program Enhancements – CCIS v2
The flagship Certified Cyber Insurance Specialist (CCIS) designation has been rebuilt as CCIS v2. The updated program adds coverage of AI‑driven threats, AI governance and the insurance exposures created by AI across portfolios.
Accreditation and Geographic Reach
All Academy programs are accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF), Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) and the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA). They are approved for continuing education in more than 45 U.S. states.
EC‑Council Background
Founded in 2001, EC‑Council is a global cybersecurity and AI organization that created the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) credential and has certified over 400,000 professionals across 174 countries. It operates as an ISO/IEC 17024 accredited certification body, with its credentials recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense under DoD Directive 8140. EC‑Council advances Responsible AI through its Adopt. Defend. Govern. (ADG) Framework, which integrates people, process and technology to help organizations adopt AI responsibly, defend digital environments and govern emerging technologies.
Quote Highlights
Jay Bavisi, Founder & Group CEO of EC‑Council, stated that technology is now embedded across almost every dimension of enterprise risk and that the acquisition brings deep insurance expertise to complement EC‑Council’s technical depth. Guy Simkin emphasized that every insurance professional is now a technology risk professional, and the partnership will extend the Academy’s cyber‑insurance foundation into AI and emerging risks. Asaf Armoni noted that EC‑Council’s scale will enable faster development of technology‑focused curriculum for the insurance market.