Email Server Breach: Impact, Fixes, and Recommendations

"Our email server has been breached."
That is the feeling of many businesses after the recent attack on Microsoft Exchange servers hosted inside business premises and self managed racks in data centres around the world including the European Banking Authority according to BBC News.

This attack on email servers used both a 0 day attack, a new unknown vulnerability in software, and compromised passwords to gain access to servers and data. And it is not just the initial attack that is causing problems has other attackers been making use of the security holes since it has been revealed.

Microsoft has released updates for Exchange Server to close these holes however just applying the updates is not enough and businesses should check using a specialist security scanner for any signs of potential compromise.

While this is very concerning for users of Exchange Server there is good new that Exchange Online which is part of the Microsoft 365 suite is not affected. One of our first recommendations to all our clients is to move onto Microsoft 365 for its enhanced protected with Microsoft's security team keeping a constant watch as well as better resiliency.

In our book The £10K Email we explore the effect of business email accounts being compromised, the devastating effect it can have on cash flow and what you can do about it. You can order your free copy here.

John Fisher

Managing Director, Westway IT

John is the founder of Westway IT and works directly with small businesses across Gloucestershire to keep their IT secure, productive and stress-free.

With a BSc in Computer Science and hands-on experience supporting businesses from 1 to 40 users, he specialises in cyber security, Microsoft 365 and business automation.

An award-winning MSP owner and active member of the global IT community (including GTIA), John focuses on solving real business problems, not just technical ones.

Published: 09 March 2021 | Last Updated: 09 March 2021