Written by: Aaron Pries, Technology Consultant

“Just Another Friday… Until It Wasn’t.”

The office buzzed with an air of accomplishment. It had been a long, grueling few months, but finally, the massive project was closed. Emails of congratulations flew back and forth, last-minute reports were filed, and jackets were slung over chairs as the team prepared to head out for a well-earned weekend.

It was one of those rare moments in IT—when everything felt… calm.

Then, the phone rang.

A notification flashed on the screen.
 

High Severity Alert

At first, it didn’t seem real. Maybe a false positive? A minor glitch? But within seconds, more alerts followed—failed login attempts, irregular data access, a connection from an unknown IP, and a flood of outbound emails to  clients.

The celebration stopped. The easy chatter faded.

They weren’t going home just yet.

Within minutes, the IT team was scrambling, logs were pulled, and calls were made. Someone—or something—had found a way in. And with weekend staffing about to drop, they were in a race against time to stop it before the damage spread.

This story, like many others, is a routine part of my work in cybersecurity consulting. There are usually two scenarios where my team gets called in—either leadership is proactively concerned about a potential breach, or the worst has already happened. Unfortunately, far too often, it’s the latter. Companies don’t always see the gaps in their security until an attacker does. By the time we step in, the damage is usually already underway—data is compromised, systems are down, and reputations are on the line. While we are always ready to assist with incident response, we stress that the best security strategy isn’t just about fixing breaches, but preventing them in the first place.

What Happened?

In this particular case, the breach originated from an unexpected source—the company’s own  . A seasoned executive with decades of experience, he wasn’t the type to ignore security policies maliciously, but like many in leadership, he valued convenience. One evening, intrigued by an AI tool he had seen on social media, he decided to try it out. His companies' IT Team followed many best practices and had most of the recommended security solutions and policies in place to prevent him from installing unknown software on his workstation. However, people are highly intelligent creatures and many times are able to sidestep security measures in creative ways that their IT team had not anticipated; instead of using his secured workstation, he used his personal laptop at home, downloaded and installed the software, and used his work credentials to sign into the application. What he didn’t realize was that the tool was malicious. Within moments, his credentials were stolen, and a persistent backdoor was established. The attackers didn’t just gain access—they maintained it, quietly forwarding his emails to an external account, harvesting sensitive corporate data in real time. The scariest part? The attackers maintained this backdoor access for over a month; carefully staying under the radar until they were ready to make their move—one bold enough to finally alert the IT team. You see, when attackers first gain access, they don’t want to draw attention. Instead, they operate quietly, gathering intelligence, mapping out the network, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Their goal isn’t immediate chaos, but a slow, calculated buildup to an attack with maximum impact. They know IT professionals are always watching for anomalies, so they blend in—until it’s time to go big.

What Could've Been Done?

Cybersecurity is a delicate balancing act, a constant juggling of priorities where even the smallest misstep can lead to disaster. Security controls need to be strong enough to deter attackers, yet seamless enough that they don’t hinder productivity. They must fit within budget constraints while also being manageable for the existing IT team’s skill set. A tall order, right? That’s why a layered security approach is critical. It’s not enough to rely on a single line of defense—companies need a strong antivirus solution, security logging and retention, XDR, and most importantly, a security awareness and training program with routine employee testing. This last piece is often the most neglected. I’ve lost count of how many organizations I’ve worked with that had no structured security training, no phishing simulations, or worse—neither. The worst offenders? Those outside of regulated industries, where the most common excuses are, “We’ve never had an issue before,” “Our employees are smart,” or “We’re being cost-conscious right now.” What they fail to realize is that the financial and reputational damage of a breach is immeasurable—and by the time they do, it’s already too late.

The company from our story did, technically, have a cybersecurity training program—but it was a “checkbox solution”. You’ve probably seen something like it: the once-a-year tradition of hurrying through the same outdated videos with cheesy scenarios, just to get that HR-mandated certificate. The reality, however, is that cybersecurity training seems to be getting worse, not better, at a time when threats are more advanced than ever. With AI in the mix, cybercriminals are more convincing, more deceptive, and more dangerous. Gone are the days of misspelled emails from Nigerian princes and pixelated logos as dead giveaways. Now, we face highly sophisticated phishing attacks with AI-generated messages that mimic tone and context flawlessly, capable of impersonating high-profile users with eerie accuracy. Remember, even massive corporations with robust security measures can fall victim to social engineering—just look at what happened to MGM Resorts in late 2023. A sophisticated attack tricked security staff into resetting MFA tokens, ultimately giving attackers full access to critical systems. This underscores a crucial point: no matter how many security tools we have in place, the biggest vulnerability will always be human nature. Employees, even the most well-intentioned, can be deceived or unknowingly bypass security protocols in ways that put the entire organization at risk. That’s why security training can’t just be a checkbox exercise or a software platform—it needs to be a deeply ingrained company culture. When security awareness is prioritized at every level, employees become an active line of defense rather than an accidental entry point for attackers.

 
Evolution & Lessons Learned

Through our years in the field, we’ve helped countless clients recover from digital crises—whether it’s a hostile takeover, a rogue IT admin, compromised credentials, ransomware, or any number of evolving threats. Each incident has reinforced an important truth: cybersecurity is never static. Every attack we investigate, every recovery we lead, gives us an opportunity to learn, adapt, and strengthen our approach. These experiences don’t just help us restore businesses—they fuel our continuous innovation, allowing us to enhance our Advisory Services and proactively protect our Managed Service Clients against emerging threats.

We’ve invested heavily in research and development, going beyond industry standards to implement cutting-edge security measures that anticipate where threats are heading next. From Human Risk Analytics to Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), to modern Zero Trust and Conditional Access strategies—these are solutions that didn’t exist when we started 25 years ago, but they are now core to our evolving security arsenal.

Cybersecurity is a constant race between innovation and exploitation, and we’re committed to staying ahead. We’re excited to continue bringing new, adaptive security solutions to our clients and prospects, helping them not only defend against cyber threats but also foster a resilient cybersecurity culture that protects their future.

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