From now on, Aon will include cybercrime in its contents insurance as standard

Insurer Aon will include cybercrime in its home contents insurance as standard from 1 September. Customers are thus insured against the expenses they incur due to ransomware and identity theft, among other things.

From now on, the Cyber ​​Assistance component is included as standard under Aon’s contents insurance. Cyber ​​help was previously a separate insurance for digital matters. According to Aon, it is necessary to offer such insurance in 2020. “The times when a burglar stood at the back door with a crowbar at night are largely over. Cybercrime can happen to anyone at any time and is a complex problem due to its many variants.”

The policy states that mainly expenses are paid. These are, for example, the costs that have to be incurred to restore a system and the costs of ‘limiting the consequences of identity fraud’. In addition to expenses such as telephone and lawyer costs, the latter also includes missed wages of up to 2500 euros per year, and costs that a customer has for reapplying for a loan if the first application has been rejected due to identity fraud.

Aon reimburses the costs of engaging specialists in most incidents. These are designated by the insurer. The insurer will also pay for damages to others due to privacy breaches and legal costs if the customer is sued.

With ransomware, the insurer only reimburses the costs of hiring an expert. This can help, for example, with regaining control of a computer, or with restoring a backup. No damage will be compensated, even if the equipment no longer works.

Damage to computer systems is not covered. Customers are also not insured against phishing fraud, which Aon describes as ‘social engineering fraud’. The insurance also does not reimburse ransomware redemption, which many business insurers do. Fines, such as privacy violations, are also not covered, although they have not yet been imposed on private individuals. Customers cannot get further compensation for files they have lost.

In addition to reimbursing expenses, customers will also have access to a helpline, and a website has been set up with tips on how to stay better protected. Customers do need these: the insurer sets conditions for the security level of users. For example, they are required to use a ‘strong password’, use ‘reasonable security solutions’ such as anti-virus software, and not ‘jailbreak’ their computers. Also, peer-to-peer downloads are not allowed.