RMM Platform Vulnerabilities Proving to Be Devastating to MSPs

Cybercriminals are exploiting remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform vulnerabilities to launch ransomware attacks on MSPs and their customers.

Earlier this year, Asigra warned its global network of MSPs about an RMM platform ransomware threat that puts solution provider and end-customer applications and data at high risk. ConnectWise also has been rushing to address RMM vulnerabilities that threaten the company and its MSP customers.

During a Channel Partners Virtual presentation titled “RMM Vulnerabilities that Are Devastating Service Providers,” Sept. 8, Jason Ingalls, CEO of Ingalls Information Security, will lead a panel discussion on the impact of RMM vulnerabilities.

Panelists include: Chris Noles, president of Beyond Computer Solutions; Eric Pinto, senior director of channel and product strategy for SOCSoter; and James Wroten, founder of Need Computer Help.

In a Q&A with Channel Futures, Noles and Pinto give a sneak preview of what they plan to cover during the presentation.

Channel Futures: Why are we seeing so many RMM platform vulnerabilities?

Beyond Computer Solutions’ Chris Noles

Chris Noles: The attackers know that RMM tools and MSPs have access to multiple businesses if they can exploit the MSP and its RMM tool. It is a turnkey business for them.

Eric Pinto: As a platform, remote management solutions provide threat actors with a direct conduit into dozens – if not hundreds – of small business environments. This makes them ripe for malicious activity. There are any number of reasons why service providers might miss a known or established vulnerability. Much of this is rooted in awareness and having the infrastructure in place to implement remediation strategies quickly. Just because someone reports a vulnerability, it doesn’t mean systems are compromised — yet. However, the clock is ticking. The scenario becomes not if, but when.

CF: Is it almost too late by the time you discover an RMM platform vulnerability?

CN: Without the proper tools to monitor for this, yes. Unfortunately, most MSPs have not added the tools or extra layers of security to know before it is too late.

CF: What sort of damage has occurred and can occur from these types of vulnerabilities?

CN: The worst-case scenario could be catastrophic. If an MSP’s RMM tool gets compromised, the attacker could gain control of an MSP’s RMM console. There, they could remotely log in to every client of that MSP organization and encrypt live data and the backups with ransomware demanding that ransoms be paid for every client. This could put an MSP and all of its clients out of business. Or it could at least create costly downtime, loss of reputation and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Unfortunately, there are cases where this has happened to multiple MSPs.

If the case involves a health care client, then Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) violations could easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We’ve even heard of cases where attackers target patients from health care organizations that a compromised MSP was managing. These patients have been threatened by the attackers to have their medical records published unless a ransom is paid.

SOCSoter’s Eric Pinto

EP: The longer a system’s vulnerabilities persist, the increased risk of compromise. Depending on the severity of the concern, a vulnerability will affect the service provider (internally). But it could also create access downstream into their entire customer portfolio. With or without a data breach, the impact and potential damage to the relationship could be huge. If a security breach results in access to sensitive materials, this could require the service provider to announce publicly exactly what has happened — and their role in the it. The resulting damage to the business may be irrecoverable.

CF: Are there things organizations aren’t doing that they should be doing to protect themselves from these vulnerabilities?

CN: Absolutely. Most MSPs are good about telling their clients to enable multifactor authentication (MFA), but so many of these MSPs don’t …