Had a client's email account hacked on a Tuesday... took 4 days to fix

Last Tuesday, one of my painting clients in Boise called me saying their email got compromised and a fake invoice for $1,200 was sent to their customers. I spent the next 4 days helping them reset passwords, check for malware on their computer, and notify everyone who got phished. Has anyone else had to deal with a situation where a client's security lapse ended up affecting your own business reputation?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethmartinez1mo ago

Still sounds like a lapse to me. Basic awareness prevents most hacks.

derek991mo ago

Not sure I agree that this is necessarily a security lapse on the client's part. A lot of basic hacks happen because someone clicked a link that looked legit, not because they were being careless. I've seen small business owners get hit by phishing emails that spoofed their own bank or even a service they use daily. It's easy to blame the client after the fact, but most folks don't have IT training. The real problem is they weren't set up with two-factor authentication or a simple password manager before it happened. That's on us as their IT contact or whoever sold them the service, not just on them.