Last week was a bad week for firewalls.
New vulnerabilities were discovered, and the worst part? If these flaws are exploited, the hackers are already inside.
And they don’t always need to drop malware to cause damage.
The New Attack That Skips Ransomware and Goes Straight for the Money
A new phishing kit is making the rounds, and it is highly effective.
If a hacker gains access to a firewall, they don’t have to infect the system—they can simply reroute M365 traffic to a phishing site. (Check this out: Astaroth Phishing Kit Bypasses 2FA)
Now, they have access to email. And once they’re in, they wait.
They watch for an invoice. Then, they use AI to rewrite it with updated payment instructions.
When the client questions the change? The hacker calls them—using the vendor’s real phone number—confirming everything is legitimate.
If your customer isn’t paying attention, they wire the money.
Not Every Firewall Attack Leads to Ransomware—Some Lead to Wire Fraud
Others? They lead to something even worse. Data exfiltration.
And when hackers steal sensitive data, they use it to target victims at their most vulnerable.
The Extortion Attack That Destroyed Lives
When people hear about hackers breaching a plastic surgery clinic, they assume it’s about wealthy people getting facelifts.
That’s not what this was.
Imagine being a woman who survived domestic violence, trying to erase the scars left behind by years of abuse.
Imagine being a teenager who was born with a facial deformity, finally getting the surgery that lets them walk through the world without stares and whispers.
Imagine being the victim of a car accident, undergoing reconstruction so you can recognize yourself in the mirror again.
Now imagine a hacker stealing your medical records, your photos, your most private information.
And then they contact you.
“Pay us, or we’ll expose everything. We’ll post your before and after photos. We’ll contact your employer, your friends, your family. You think you escaped your past? We’ll make sure you never do.”
That’s what happened to the patients at a facility in Miramar, Florida.
Hackers didn’t just go after the clinic. They went after individual patients.
When the doctor refused to pay, the hackers doxed the patients on social media. They messaged them directly, demanding ransoms.
This wasn’t about money. It was psychological warfare.
And the worst part? These patients weren’t hacked. Their doctor was.
That’s the risk every business takes when they assume “We’re not a target.”
This Is the Reality MSPs Need to Prepare For
If you think your small business clients aren’t at risk, you’re wrong.
Hackers aren’t just going after hospitals, banks, and law firms anymore. They are targeting MSP clients in every industry.
And if you aren’t helping them secure their environments, their breach could become your liability.
Here’s What You Need to Do Now:
- Patch firewall vulnerabilities immediately. Hackers are already exploiting them.
- Provide cyber awareness training. If your clients can’t recognize an attack, they will fall for one. (We have an entire Self Defense series to help with this.)
- Assess your clients’ security gaps. If you aren’t testing their defenses, hackers are.
- Make sure you have a documented risk acceptance process. If they refuse security measures, you need proof.
If you haven’t gotten a full third-party cybersecurity assessment—including a penetration test—for all of your clients, now is the time.
Because when the attack happens, you want them calling you for help—not blaming you for the breach.
