In an unexpected development, the cybersecurity authorities of the “Five Eyes” countries issued an alert warning of an increase in malicious cyber activity targeting managed service providers (MSPs), with these agencies saying they expect this trend to continue. The alert is the result of a collaborative effort among the United Kingdom (NCSC-UK), Australia (ACSC), Canada (CCCS), New Zealand (NCSC-NZ), and the United States (CISA, NSA, FBI).
The agencies said they are “aware of recent reports that observe an increase in malicious cyber activity targeting managed service providers (MSPs) and expect this trend to continue” and point to a report by a significant MSP IT solutions provider, N-Able. That report notes that “almost all MSPs have suffered a successful cyberattack in the past 18 months, and 90% have seen an increase in attacks since the pandemic started.”