Computer breakdown: an underestimated but very real risk

When it comes to cybersecurity, we often think of hackers, ransomware and targeted attacks. But sometimes, all it takes is a simple technical failure to bring a business to a standstill.

Computer failure is exactly that: Software that crashes. A server that won't restart. An IT service provider issuing a faulty update.

And in these cases, there' s no attack, no malice. Just the machine saying stop. And everything stops.

Summer 2024: the CrowdStrike blackout, an electroshock for the sector

It all began in the summer of 2024. An update deployed by cybersecurity vendor CrowdStrike caused a critical bug on thousands of machines worldwide.

The result:

  • company servers completely shut down
  • systems inaccessible for hours on end
  • Blocked supply chains
  • Aircraft grounded at several airports

At the time, no cyber insurance policy covered this type of incident. Why not? Because there was no attack, no human error, and therefore no coverage that could be activated under conventional policies.

At Dattak, we immediately decided toinclude this type of breakdown in our policy.

What Dattak covers in the event of computer failure

We have added explicit coverage to our contract for major IT breakdowns and the failure of IT service providers, provided they :

  • occur unexpectedly
  • totally or partially block the activity of the insured company

Whether the breakdown is internal or at an external service provider, the guarantee is activated.

Examples of costs covered:

  • Operating losses due to systems unavailability
  • Costs of reconstituting the information system
  • Emergency interventions to restore operations
  • Technical or external expenses incurred to limit the impact of the breakdown.

A contract in tune with companies' operational realities

At Dattak, we believe it's our responsibility toanticipate new risks, not just cover those we already know about.

And computer failure is a perfect example: it's not the result of malicious intent, but it can have consequences as far-reaching as ransomware.

> A Windows breakdown can sometimes do more damage than a hacker.

That's why we've chosen toinclude ittransparently in our contract, to offer our policyholders more comprehensive coverage, in line with their real-life challenges.

In a nutshell

  • Computer breakdown is a real risk, which can paralyze a company without any external attack.
  • At Dattak, this risk is now covered by our cyber insurance policy.
  • Coverage is activated in the event of a major breakdown, whether caused by an IT service provider or the internal IT environment
  • We cover operating losses, reconstruction costs and interventions required to restore business activity.

To find out more about our contract, or to test our underwriting process, visit www.dattak.io Cyber risk is the number 1 risk for any company, whatever its size.