Many “first day of school” pictures had a different appearance this year. Typically the internet is flooded with images of children waving while getting on the bus or smiling in front of their school; in 2020, many photos had the child sitting at a dining room table while logging into their computer. Just another major shift in our lifestyle that we’ve become accustomed to over the past six months. But while in-home education may reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, it brings another danger to your home: cybercrime.
Your home is often a safe place. You know the areas of entry and are familiar with ways to lock them from intruders. It’s not often that a laptop or tablet raises concern as a point of entry for a criminal attack, but the use of technology to connect and communicate with classmates, co-workers, and teachers can strongly hinder your protection from an unwanted visitor.
According to a study done by the University of Maryland, hackers attack computers with internet access on average once every 39 seconds. That means by the time it takes you to read this paragraph you have likely been a victim of an attempted hack or worse, potentially compromised. With this occurring at an alarming rate, utilizing home-connectivity for work and school use for eight hours puts you at risk approximately 738 times per day on one single device.
With all the uncertainties that 2020 has held, no one can afford to fall victim to a cyber-attack. Fortunately, there is coverage available to help provide peace of mind for the new-age virtual world. If you are worried about your child falling victim to cyberbullying, or being financially impacted by a cybercriminal, then Personal Cyber Insurance may be a great option to protect you and your family.
For the cost of take-out dinner one time a month, you can purchase an endorsement or policy to protect you against cyber threats. Some benefits that may be offered in these policies include:
- IT/Tech Support
- Legal Consult
- Legal Expenses
- Loss of Income
- Counselling Session (Cyber Bullying)
- Trauma Counselling (Cyber Bullying)
The insurance world can be tricky; every policy is different and not every carrier offers personal cyber policies for families or individuals. As always, we recommend you discuss your unique needs and options with Seltzer Group Partners. Our team is always ready and willing to help you in any way we can.
To help minimize your exposure on the web, consider putting safeguards in place to protect your private information. Learn more about the steps you can take to help prevent a cyber-attack in our blog post: How to Stay Safe From Cyber Attacks When Working and Learning From Home.
