Huntress, a managed security platform tailored for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and their managed service providers (MSPs), has introduced its new managed detection and response (MDR) product specifically for Microsoft 365.
The unveiling comes in response to the escalating issues of business email compromise and account takeover attacks that are particularly impacting the SMB sector.
Pivoting to Robust Defense Mechanisms
The Huntress MDR for Microsoft 365 is designed to counter the vulnerabilities faced by SMBs and the mid-market, providing protection against potential attackers.
The product aims to detect and halt suspicious logins, extensive permission changes, and privilege escalations to mitigate the effects of business email compromise (BEC) attacks.
This comes as a recent public notice by the FBI pinpoints losses from such attacks at an alarming figure of around $50 billion. Meanwhile, IBM's 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report shed light on an increasing financial impact of data breaches on businesses with fewer than 500 employees, noting an escalation from $2.92 million in 2022 to $3.31 million in 2023.
Insight from Industry Leaders
Kyle Hanslovan, co-founder and CEO of Huntress, commented:
“99% of U.S. organizations are SMBs, and over eleven million of them rely on Microsoft 365 to run their businesses. Most operate with minimal cyberdefense budgets and talent, so even a single stolen credential or compromised account can stop their operations or prevent payroll from running. I am stoked to arm our SMB partners and mid-market customers with the expertise and capabilities to wreak threat actors while also protecting their data.”
Matt Robbins, Security Analyst, Rudick Innovation and Technology, said:
“Huntress MDR for Microsoft 365 detected and stopped an email forwarding rule attack that would have sent confidential emails out to a threat actor. Had the attack progressed, there was the potential for company financials to have been at risk. We were able to resolve the issue within minutes with the help of the 24/7 SOC team from Huntress, which is a unique piece of their solution. I’m thrilled with what the product has delivered.”
Key Attributes of the Solution:
- Proactive monitoring of Microsoft 365 for potential business email compromise and related threats.
- A fully-managed setup aimed at reducing false alerts and preventing alert fatigue.
- Detection of indicators signifying compromised identities, paired with clear, actionable steps for threat containment.
- 24/7 human-centric threat analysis and remediation helmed by Huntress’ specialized SOC team.
- Instant lockdown capabilities to immediately curb any suspicious activity that may culminate in a harmful attack.
Huntress' data indicates an uptick in email-centric compromises, particularly exploiting weaknesses in Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), the company said. The MDR for Microsoft 365 represents a significant expansion in Huntress' offerings, moving beyond just endpoint security to incorporate comprehensive identity protection.
