Microsoft released its biggest security update in years on April 15th — patching 165 vulnerabilities across Windows and its other products. Two of those vulnerabilities were already being exploited by attackers before the patch even dropped. Two more remain unpatched and actively in use.
If that sounds alarming, it should be.
This Is Not a Theoretical Risk
One of the exploited flaws was in Microsoft Defender, the antivirus software most Windows machines run by default. The other was in SharePoint, a tool thousands of businesses use every day to share files and collaborate. Both were weaponized before a fix existed. Microsoft called out this intrusion style explicitly — attackers are impersonating IT help desks to break into companies and steal data.
Meanwhile, Gmail went dark for 8+ hours on April 8th. Businesses lost email. Some lost leads, support tickets, and contracts during that window with no ETA and no recourse.
What This Actually Means for Your Business
The math is simple: attackers know about vulnerabilities before your IT team patches them. Sometimes weeks or months before. That’s the window they live in.
- Unpatched vulnerabilities are how most ransomware gets in
- Email outages can cost you real revenue with zero warning
- The longer a patch sits unapplied, the larger your exposure window becomes
The Hard Truth
Most SMBs have no idea how many unpatched vulnerabilities are sitting on their network right now. Their IT vendor might be patching reactively — after an alert, after a news story, after an incident. By then, it may be too late.
What Good Managed IT Looks Like
Proactive patching isn’t optional. It’s the baseline. Your provider should be applying critical patches within 24–48 hours of release, not waiting for something to break.
NSI Tech manages patching, monitoring, and response for businesses that can’t afford to be the headline.