The following customer success story involves a private for-profit college that has requested to remain anonymous. Over the Labor Day weekend in 2022, the college faced a malicious attack from an unknown organization. The attackers aimed to compromise the accounts of students and faculty and the college's servers to send malicious emails. Fortunately, with the help of VLCM, Avanan, and Microsoft, the college regained access to its accounts, and measures were put in place to prevent the opening of malicious links in the future.
During the Labor Day weekend, an unknown organization sent phishing emails to the client’s students, posing as legitimate emails from the college and other organizations. The attack was severe, with over 40,000 emails sent in two variations, job application and scholarship opportunity, designed to capture personal information and compromise user accounts. The IT team had to cease all email sending to prevent further damage, cutting off the school’s primary mode of communication.
When the client’s IT director attempted to resolve the issue independently, it became clear they lacked the necessary tools to stop such complex cyberattacks. Even Microsoft’s built-in security features in Office 365 proved ineffective against the phishing attack. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the IT director contacted Josh Allen, the client’s VLCM Representative, for assistance. Josh promptly assessed the situation and involved Philip Kemp, VLCM’s VP of Cybersecurity, to help tackle the problem.
Philip quickly recognized that Avanan by Check Point was the ideal solution for the client’s email security needs. The AI-powered email security provider would prevent further damage and undo the damage that had already occurred. Within a short time, a representative from Avanan and a representative from Microsoft - who owned the email service used by the client - joined the call, which took place after midnight on a holiday weekend
Philip selected Avanan for the client’s email security needs due to its effectiveness, simplicity, and future protection. Philip had prior positive experiences with Avanan/Check Point, citing their dependability, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness as critical factors. Avanan’s API-based service and excellent customer support were also important considerations. During the call, the team collaborated to set up a “proof of concept” Avanan demo, which was easy to install and immediately began detecting compromised accounts and malicious emails.
Avanan was highly effective in preventing further link clicks from sending malicious emails and helped to locate and disable compromised accounts quickly. The Representative from Microsoft also played a crucial role in assisting the client in pulling back any future emails and deleting the existing malicious ones to prevent further damage.
The email security incident was resolved, and students had access to their accounts before school resumed on Monday. After experiencing the effectiveness of the Avanan demo, the client decided to purchase the entire suite to ensure continued protection - Check Point Harmony Email + Collaboration (
). VLCM also assisted the client by helping them implement two-factor authentication and other cybersecurity measures. The client was delighted with the outcome and expressed gratitude for the prompt response and support from the VLCM team.
Since implementing Avanan, the school has prevented further cybersecurity incidents and has significantly reduced spam emails reaching executives’ and students’ inboxes.
“[The client] experienced increased security for all their assets and less wasted time because fewer spam and phishing emails were getting through,” says Josh. “The C-suite noticed a reduction in spam, which they loved, and the IT staff was happy because Avanan freed their time from not having to deal with phishing attacks.”
VLCM not only assisted the client with their email security but also worked with them to protect other critical platforms like SharePoint and Teams and prevent cyberattacks on those systems.
The collaboration between the school, VLCM, and VLCM’s partners highlights the importance of having a trusted partner in cybersecurity to help organizations stay secure in an increasingly dangerous digital landscape. To learn more about VLCM’s Cybersecurity Services, please visit www.vlcm.com/cybersecurity.
Read how VLCM has helped other clients Get IT Right. Visit our Customer Success Stories Library to view them all.
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