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How Much Would One Day of Downtime Cost Your Business?

October 22, 2025

Let’s play a quick game of math, don’t worry, it’s the kind that makes your stomach drop, not your calculator smoke.

Imagine you wake up tomorrow and your business is dead in the water. No email. No phones. No file access. No customer orders. No billing. No nothing.

How much would that one day of downtime cost you?

If you’re like most businesses, the answer is shocking. Between lost productivity, halted sales, recovery efforts, and the blow to your reputation, downtime can easily rack up thousands, or even tens of thousands, of dollars per day.

According to industry studies, the average cost of IT downtime is between $5,600 and $9,000 per minute. Now, you might not be a Fortune 500 company, but even a small business losing access to systems for a single day could easily see:

$10,000+ in lost revenue
$5,000–$20,000 in labor costs from unproductive staff
Unknown long-term losses from unhappy customers and missed opportunities

And that’s before you even add the cost of recovering your systems, restoring backups, or paying the ransom if a cyberattack was involved.

Here’s the harsh truth: Downtime doesn’t just cost money, it kills trust.

Your clients expect you to be reliable. If they can’t reach you, they’ll find someone they can.

At ABT Solutions, we help businesses eliminate that risk. From proactive monitoring and patch management to data backup and disaster recovery, our goal is simple: keep you up, running, and protected.

Because prevention isn’t expensive, downtime is.

If you don’t know how long your business could survive without access to your systems, it’s time for a conversation. We’ll help you find out before a hacker does.

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What Happens If Your Microsoft 365 Gets Breached?

By b328cabadd620e9eeb96502345549129_cc_2214 • November 4, 2025

Let’s start with the obvious: if your Microsoft 365 account gets breached, it’s not “just” an email problem. It’s a full-blown business crisis. Microsoft 365 isn’t just where your inbox lives. It’s where your files, contacts, calendars, and even internal communications reside. It’s the digital heartbeat of your business, and when it’s compromised, attackers gain the master key to your kingdom. Here’s what happens next: 1. The attacker impersonates you. The moment your credentials or session token are stolen, the attacker can log in as you, sending invoices, asking employees to wire money, or requesting sensitive data. Because it’s coming from your real account, it’s incredibly convincing. 2. They pivot deeper into your organization. Most modern attacks don’t stop at email. Once inside, hackers search for shared files, OneDrive content, and Teams messages that contain passwords, vendor info, financial data, etc. Then, they expand their reach, often gaining access to other users’ accounts or systems. 3. Your reputation takes a hit. Imagine your clients getting phishing emails from “you.” Even if you contain the breach, the damage to trust can linger. Many businesses find it harder to recover reputationally than financially. 4. They may plant persistence. Attackers don’t always vanish after the first breach. They create hidden forwarding rules, drop malicious OAuth apps, or steal refresh tokens to maintain access, even after you reset your password. 5. Compliance and liability come knocking. If your company handles regulated data (like financial or health information), a breach can trigger mandatory reporting, investigations, and hefty fines. Even small businesses aren’t exempt. The Harsh Truth: If you think Microsoft 365 security “comes built-in,” think again. Out of the box, it’s like buying a house with locks, then leaving all the doors open. True protection means layering: ✅ Advanced email security and encryption ✅ Multi-factor authentication (and yes, it’s still essential) ✅ SOC monitoring to catch intrusions in real time ✅ Security awareness training for your team ✅ Regular penetration testing and vulnerability assessments If your Microsoft 365 gets breached, it’s not the end of the world, if you act fast and have the right team behind you. At ABT Solutions, we specialize in protecting businesses from these exact threats. We secure your Microsoft 365 environment, monitor for intrusions, and help you stay ahead of attackers before they strike. Don’t wait for the wake-up call. Your Microsoft 365 is the front door to your business. Let’s make sure it’s locked, alarmed, and watched 24/7.

Why SSL VPNs Put Your Business at Risk

By b328cabadd620e9eeb96502345549129_cc_2214 • October 8, 2025

For years, businesses have relied on VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) as the “secure” way to connect remote workers to company systems. But the truth is, VPNs, especially SSL VPNs, have become one of the biggest security liabilities in today’s threat landscape. Hackers aren’t breaking into businesses by guessing passwords anymore. They’re going straight after the tools you use to connect: VPNs and firewalls. The Problem with VPNs VPNs were designed to create a tunnel between a remote user and your company network. Once that tunnel is open, the user (or attacker) has broad access inside your network. It’s like giving someone the keys to the entire building when all they needed was access to one office. When attackers compromise a VPN, they don’t just get a foot in the door, they’re sitting in your lobby with access to everything. SSL VPNs and SonicWall Vulnerabilities In the past few years, we’ve seen a flood of zero-day vulnerabilities targeting SSL VPNs and firewalls. One of the most high-profile examples is the SonicWall SSL VPN vulnerability, which allowed attackers to bypass authentication and gain access directly into company networks. They didn't even need a password! That wasn’t a one-off event. Almost every firewall vendor, Fortinet, Cisco, Palo Alto, SonicWall, and others, has dealt with critical VPN-related zero-days. Cybercriminals actively scan the internet for exposed VPN portals, waiting to pounce on organizations that haven’t patched within hours of a new exploit being discovered. Why This Puts Your Business at Risk Single Point of Entry: VPNs often provide attackers with wide-open access once compromised. Zero-Day Exploits: Hackers don’t wait, many breaches happen before patches are even available. Credential Theft: If an employee’s VPN password is stolen, attackers bypass your defenses. Compliance Risks: Breaches through VPNs can expose sensitive data, leading to fines and legal issues. The Better Approach: Zero Trust Remote Access Instead of relying on VPNs, modern businesses are adopting Zero Trust solutions that limit access to only what a user needs, when they need it. This ensures that even if an account is compromised, attackers don’t get the keys to your entire network. What You Should Do Next If your business is still using SSL VPNs or traditional VPNs, you’re already at risk. Hackers are actively targeting these systems, and history has proven that more vulnerabilities will continue to surface. It’s time to move away from outdated VPN technology and adopt modern security practices that keep your business safe. At ABT Solutions, we help businesses just like yours secure their remote workforce with Zero Trust access, advanced firewall management, and 24/7 monitoring, so you don’t have to worry about whether your VPN is the next door hackers walk through. 👉 Contact us today before the next firewall zero-day becomes tomorrow’s breach.

MFA Isn’t a Silver Bullet Anymore

By b328cabadd620e9eeb96502345549129_cc_2214 • September 24, 2025

We always recommend multi-factor authentication (MFA). It’s an important layer of protection. But here’s the truth: MFA alone is no longer enough. Attackers are getting smarter and sneakier. One of the fastest growing threats right now is the Adversary-in-the-Middle (AiTM) attack, and it’s especially targeting Microsoft 365. These attacks bypass MFA. They don’t drop malware. Instead, they use legitimate tools and stolen session tokens to “live off the land.” That means they can look just like normal users inside your environment, making them extremely hard to detect. Real-World Example: A Small Plumbing Company Nearly Shut Down A friend of mine owns an MSP, and just recently he got a call from a plumbing company with 10 employees. They were in a panic because they couldn’t send emails, everything just sat in the sent folder. After investigating, my friend found that one of their staff had clicked on what looked like a DocuSign email. No password was entered. No credentials were typed in. Yet attackers still managed to slip inside their Microsoft 365 environment. Once in, the attackers configured a separate domain and started sending malicious emails on behalf of the company. Operations came to a grinding halt. Within an hour, my friend’s team had: Removed the attackers from the environment Rolled out their security monitoring software Reset all passwords and MFA with stronger rules Started the staff on their first cybersecurity training session Here’s the kicker: this plumbing company had no cybersecurity in place before this incident. Now, they’ve got the protections, training, and monitoring needed to prevent this from ever happening again. You Can’t Do This Alone The bad guys are no longer just brute-forcing passwords or sending obvious spam. They’re using advanced, stealthy methods that go around your defenses instead of through them. MFA is a must, but it’s not enough on its own. You need a cybersecurity partner to continuously monitor, detect, and respond to these evolving threats. The cost of doing nothing is a business that can grind to a halt in minutes. The cost of being protected? For small businesses, it can sometimes be less than what you’re already paying for phone or internet service. If you’re not sure where your business stands, let’s talk. Don’t wait until you’re the next victim of an AiTM attack.

Why Organizations Should Choose a Managed Services Provider in 2025 Instead of Soley Relying on Staff IT

By b328cabadd620e9eeb96502345549129_cc_2214 • September 2, 2025

Every organization in 2025 faces the same challenge: doing more with less. Budgets are tight, cyber threats are escalating, and customers, members, and employees all expect fast, reliable services. Many organizations still rely on a single in-house IT employee, or a small IT staff, to handle everything from resetting passwords to defending against ransomware. The reality is, that model simply isn’t enough anymore. Here’s why organizations should look to a Managed Services Provider (MSP) in 2025 instead of relying solely on staff IT: 1. Cybersecurity Has Become Too Complex Cyberattacks against organizations of all sizes are on the rise. Hackers no longer just target large corporations, they increasingly go after small and mid-sized businesses, nonprofits, schools, and professional practices because defenses are often weaker. A single IT staffer cannot monitor systems around the clock, implement enterprise-grade protections, or keep up with evolving threats. An MSP brings an entire team equipped with Security Operations Center (SOC) monitoring, endpoint detection, intrusion prevention, and advanced security tools. These are resources most organizations could never afford on their own, nor would they know how to assemble into a security stack strong enough to defend against modern threat actors. 2. 24/7 Support and Monitoring A staff IT person clocks out at 5 PM. Hackers don’t. MSPs provide round-the-clock monitoring and response. That means ransomware attacks at midnight get caught early, servers that crash over the weekend get worked on before monday, and your operations don’t suffer long outages that damage your reputation. 3. Scalable Expertise IT staff often wear too many hats: networking, cybersecurity, backups, compliance, user support, and more. No one person can be an expert in all areas. With an MSP, organizations gain access to a team of specialists in different areas of technology. That expertise scales as you grow, without the cost of recruiting, training, and retaining multiple full-time employees. 4. Budget Predictability Budgets are often set years in advance. Unexpected IT costs, like replacing servers after a failure or paying for emergency breach recovery, can wreck financial stability. MSPs provide predictable, fixed monthly pricing that covers proactive maintenance, monitoring, and support. This helps organizations plan more effectively while avoiding expensive surprises. 5. Compliance and Data Protection Organizations of all kinds handle sensitive data: financial records, health information, member databases, or intellectual property. Regulations around data handling and privacy are becoming stricter every year. An MSP ensures that data is encrypted, backups are tested, and compliance requirements are met, protecting both your organization and the people who trust you. 6. Focus on Your Mission When IT issues consume staff attention, leaders and employees can’t focus on what matters most: serving customers, members, or the community. By outsourcing IT management to a trusted MSP, organizations free up time and resources to grow, innovate, and serve more effectively. 7. Future-Proofing Technology Technology is advancing quickly: cloud solutions, AI-driven services, remote collaboration, and industry-specific applications are becoming essential. An MSP helps organizations adopt new technologies smoothly and securely, ensuring they don’t fall behind while competitors modernize. Who Needs an MSP? The truth is, every type of organization is a target for cyberattacks and can benefit from professional IT management. Whether you are in: Municipalities and Local Government Financial Services (banks, credit unions, investment advisors, insurance firms) Healthcare and Medical Practices Education (K-12 schools, colleges, training centers) Nonprofits and Community Organizations Manufacturing and Industrial Companies Professional Services (law firms, accounting, CPA, engineering, etc.) …a Managed Services Provider can deliver the protection, reliability, and expertise you need. Final Thought IT is no longer just about fixing computers. It’s about defending against cyberattacks, keeping essential services running 24/7, and planning for the future of digital operations. In 2025, a single staff IT person simply cannot carry that responsibility alone. By partnering with a Managed Services Provider, your organization gains the expertise, protection, and scalability it needs to safeguard data, maintain uptime, and grow with confidence, without blowing the budget.

Your Business Is Now Hackable With a $20 AI Subscription

By b328cabadd620e9eeb96502345549129_cc_2214 • August 29, 2025

Anthropic’s latest threat report confirmed what cybersecurity professionals have feared: the barrier to launching ransomware attacks has collapsed. Who is Anthropic and why should we believe them? Anthropic is one of the world’s leading AI companies, founded by former OpenAI researchers and backed by Amazon and Google. Their AI, Claude, is a direct competitor to ChatGPT. When Anthropic issues a threat report, it’s not hype, it’s insider intelligence from a company building the very technology now being weaponized. In one documented case, a single individual with no coding skills used Claude Pro to: Research and select targets Develop custom malware Automate extortion campaigns The attacker successfully executed 17 ransomware incidents , demanding ransoms between $75,000 and $500,000 . Why This Matters Until now, ransomware required specialized technical knowledge, underground criminal networks, and months of preparation. That barrier to entry is GONE . Today, all it takes is an AI subscription and basic English skills . Artificial intelligence has compressed the learning curve from years to weeks. That means: Attacks will multiply — What one unskilled attacker pulled off, thousands more can replicate. Small businesses are in the crosshairs — Automation makes “smaller targets” profitable at scale. Cyber insurance costs will spike — Actuarial models are based on yesterday’s risks, not today’s reality. The Dangerous Window We’re In The defense industry will adapt, but there’s always a lag between new attack methods and effective countermeasures. Right now, we’re in that gap. This is the most dangerous time for unprepared organizations. What Businesses Should Do Immediately If you’ve been putting off security upgrades, the clock just ran out. Here are urgent steps every organization should take: Audit your current security posture — Identify vulnerabilities before attackers do. Upgrade your incident response plan — Assume a breach is possible and plan accordingly. Harden email and endpoint security — Most ransomware campaigns begin with phishing or weak endpoint protection. Invest in employee training — Humans remain the easiest entry point for attackers. Review your cyber insurance coverage — Premiums and exclusions are about to shift dramatically. The Bottom Line Cybersecurity risk has changed permanently. If one person with no technical background can launch automated ransomware campaigns, the floodgates are open. Doing nothing is no longer an option. The question isn’t if attackers will find your business, it’s whether you’ll be ready when they do.

When a Chatbot Cracked the Castle: Lessons from the Salesloft Drift Breach

By b328cabadd620e9eeb96502345549129_cc_2214 • August 27, 2025

The recent Drift by Salesloft breach is a reminder that even tools we think of as harmless, like chatbots or small integrations, can open the door for hackers. In this case, attackers got into Drift and used that connection to steal data from big companies through Salesforce. While the headlines are about large organizations, the real lesson is that every business is at risk if they don’t stay on top of third-party apps and connections. This is why regular security assessments and having a trusted cybersecurity partner are so important. This post is a bit more technical and detailed than usual. I just wanted to make sure all the information was clear and available, so thanks for bearing with me. 1. The Anatomy of the Breach: How It Happened Origin in GitHub Access Threat actors associated with the group tracked as UNC6395 gained access to Salesloft’s GitHub account between March and June 2025 . This foothold allowed them to extract sensitive credentials including AWS keys, passwords, Snowflake tokens, and more Token Theft and Lateral Movement Between approximately August 8 and August 18, 2025, attackers exploited the SalesDrift integration, which connects Drift’s AI chat features to Salesforce, to steal OAuth (Authentication) and refresh tokens. These tokens were then used to access customer Salesforce environments and exfiltrate data. Scope of Impact Hundreds of organizations were affected, including cybersecurity giants such as Palo Alto Networks, Cloudflare, Zscaler, Proofpoint, CyberArk, Tenable, and Workiva. Notably, exfiltrated data typically included business contact names, support case metadata, job titles, and occasionally credentials like AWS keys and Snowflake tokens. Broader Credential Harvesting Beyond Salesforce, the “Drift Email” integration may have compromised small numbers of Google Workspace accounts , though core Google systems remained untouched. Sophisticated Attack Tactics The attackers displayed operational stealth, deleting query jobs to erase evidence and avoid triggering alerts. 2. Why Primarily Larger Enterprises Got Hit Heavy Reliance on SaaS Integrations Organizations like Salesforce customers often rely on complex ecosystems of integrated tools, SalesDrift and Drift for CRM automation included. These dependencies expand attack surfaces. High-Value Targets Big companies tend to store extensive customer data and internal sales intelligence, making them lucrative targets for supply chain attacks. Broad Token Privileges OAuth tokens used in integrations can grant broad access. If not properly scoped or monitored, they act like skeleton keys, especially in environments with weak visibility. 3. A Wake-Up Call: Why Every Business Needs Third-Party Security Assessments Even if you're not in enterprise-level security, the Drift incident spotlights universal threats: Hidden Vulnerabilities A breach in a small third-party app, like a chatbot, can bypass traditional perimeter defenses, especially in SaaS-oriented workflows. Inadequate Monitoring and Logging The breach revealed lagging detection systems and weak audit trails. Proactive logging and anomaly detection could have spotted unusual OAuth token behaviors sooner. Token Persistence and Privilege Creep Stale or overly broad tokens, particularly in integrations with powerful tools like Salesforce, become a liability if not effectively revoked or rotated. 4. Why a Strong Cybersecurity Partner Matters A trusted cybersecurity partner can bring in forensic readiness, real-time monitoring , and incident response maturity to detect, contain, and mitigate breaches quickly. Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) frameworks help organizations: Visualize interconnected integrations (not just direct but also fourth-party risk). Tag high-risk integrations and enforce strict privileges. Monitor OAuth/API activity patterns for anomalies. In the Salesloft case, external assistance from Mandiant and Google’s GTIG was critical to containment; without such partners, the breach could have wreaked even more havoc. 5. Key Takeaways and Actionable Advice Audit all third-party integrations - Detect unknown or outdated integrations that carry token privileges. Revoke and rotate credentials promptly - Blocks persistence if a channel is compromised. Enforce least privilege - Limit what each integration can access. Implement robust logging & monitoring - Detect stealthy behaviors like deleted query jobs. Engage in continuous TPRM - Visualize both direct and indirect risk across your tech stack. Partner with cybersecurity experts - Be ready for rapid response, forensic investigation, and containment. Conclusion: A Silent Breach, A Loud Reminder The Salesloft Drift breach u nderscores a harsh reality: even integrations perceived as innocuous, like AI chatbots, can become entry points for high-impact supply chain attacks. While major firms bore the brunt, the same vulnerabilities apply to organizations of every size. Now is the time to deeply evaluate third-party risk and increase defenses via continuous assessment, strong oversight, and reliable cybersecurity collaboration. We live In a world where trust is transacted through tokens, being vigilant is your best safeguard.

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