A malicious email landing in a client’s mailbox is every MSP’s worst nightmare. When QR code phishing (quishing) emails began bypassing Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Lithium Systems, a Scotland-based MSP serving small and medium-sized businesses in Scotland and the U.K., recognized the urgency and criticality of enhancing email security measures.
Reasons for switching from Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to Acronis Advanced Email Security
Lithium Systems used Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to provide email protection to clients. Despite featuring anti-malware and anti-phishing capabilities, Defender was not providing adequate protection. Lithium Systems’ clients were receiving quishing emails, a type of phishing email that contains an attachment with a malicious QR code inside. The objective is to dupe recipients into scanning the QR code that directs them to a fake login page designed to steal their credentials.
In the 2024 Annual Report: Cybersecurity Trends & Insights by Perception Point™, one out of 18 QR codes sent via email are malicious. Looking at the big picture, 2.7% of all phishing incidents involve malicious QR codes. The findings are alarming. This has made strengthening email protection a top priority for Lithium Systems’ technicians.
“We saw examples of nefarious stuff being delivered to client mailboxes,” said George Aitkenhead, CTO, Lithium Systems. “We were not happy, and the obvious one that jumped out at us was QR code phishing. We were seeing clients raising tickets with us, and they received emails with embedded QR code images that were not getting caught.”
It was clear to Lithium Systems that a new email security solution was necessary.
Making the switch to Acronis
Powered by Perception Point, Acronis Advanced Email Security delivers seven layers of protection to secure Lithium’s client email and collaboration app environments against advanced threats. The multilayered protection includes anti-evasion, anti-phishing, anti-spoofing and anti-spam.
In addition to blocking threats from reaching Lithium Systems’ clients, the solution provided cost savings, which Lithium Systems attributes to two key benefits: First, it simplifies email-threat incident workflows. Second, it empowers junior-level technicians to investigate and resolve email-security tickets without needing intervention from senior technicians.
To learn more about Lithium Systems’ journey from Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to Acronis Advanced Email Security, read the full case study.
About Acronis
A Swiss company founded in Singapore in 2003, Acronis has 15 offices worldwide and employees in 50+ countries. Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud is available in 26 languages in 150 countries and is used by over 20,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.
