Articles

August Business Tips From the Editor

BUSINESS TIPS FROM THE EDITOR

August 2025

Richard T. Hendee, Editor
The Silver Fox Advisor

“Technology - My Most Valuable Asset?”

Follow-Up and Update

In June 2025, I wrote an article for the "Business Tips From the Editor" section of the Newsletter titled "Technology - My Most Valuable Asset".  In this article, I addressed the value of your business data and information and their worth to your business, that these files and records are subject to hackers and you should do everything you can to protect this asset.

Then 30 days later this news story below breaks worldwide -

(Bloomberg) Monday July 21, 2025-- Hackers exploited a security flaw in common Microsoft Corp. software to breach governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe and steal sensitive information, according to officials and cybersecurity researchers.

Microsoft over the weekend released a patch for the vulnerability in servers of the SharePoint document management software. The company said it was still working to roll out other fixes after warnings that hackers were targeting SharePoint clients, using the flaw to enter file systems and execute code.

The hackers, who so far have not been identified, have already used the flaw to break into the systems of national governments in Europe and the Middle East, and to breach government agencies in states, including Florida, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke on condition that they not be identified discussing the sensitive information.

Florida state representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The hackers also breached the systems of a US-based healthcare provider and targeted a public university in Southeast Asia, according to a report from a cybersecurity firm reviewed by Bloomberg News. The report doesn’t identify either entity by name, but says the hackers have attempted to breach SharePoint servers in countries including Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The firm asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the information. 

In some systems they’ve broken into, the hackers have stolen sign-in credentials, including usernames, passwords, hash codes and tokens, according to a person familiar with the matter, who also spoke on condition that they not be identified discussing the sensitive information.

“This is a high-severity, high-urgency threat,” said Michael Sikorski, chief technology officer and head of threat intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks Inc. 

“What makes this especially concerning is SharePoint’s deep integration with Microsoft’s platform, including their services like Office, Teams, OneDrive and Outlook, which has all the information valuable to an attacker,” he said. “A compromise doesn’t stay contained—it opens the door to the entire network.” 

Tens of thousands — if not hundreds of thousands — of businesses and institutions worldwide use SharePoint in some fashion to store and collaborate on documents. Microsoft said that attackers are specifically targeting clients running SharePoint servers from their own on-premise networks, as opposed to being hosted and managed by the tech firm. That could limit the impact to a subsection of customers.

If these hackers, some are whom are considered professional hackers, can break into data bases and files detailed in this article, this should scare the heck out every business owner in the country, if not the world.

There are systems and hardware available that help you keep the barn doors closed before all the horses escape into the hands of these professional hackers.

If you need help with your business’ most valuable asset, I would recommend you seek an experienced business advisor, coach, consultant or mentor with a financial or business background for your Company: Contact a Silver Fox Advisor. Remember, having experience on your side always helps.

We encourage you to visit our Website at www.silverfox.org or www.silverfoxadvisors.com to select a Silver Fox Advisor and also to learn more about the Silver Fox Advisors and their businesses, as well as our great programs and community outreach endeavors.   

Leadership Training

Richard T. Hendee  The Silver Fox Advisor	Dr. Catherine O'Brien The Silver Fox Advisor

“LEADERSHIP TRAINING”

Silver Fox Advisors Dr. Catherine O’Brien and Richard Hendee are pleased to announce that the August 2025 Silver Fox Advisor’s monthly newsletter will feature the first of many Leadership Training articles. Newsletter readers will be able to respond to these articles, and a Silver Fox Advisor will provide a valuable article reply in the following month’s edition of the Newsletter.

These Leadership Training articles will be designed to present an interesting and thought-provoking business situation (some of which will be real life experiences). Business owners are encouraged to immerse themselves in the situation and will hopefully say – “What would I do?” and/or “What should I have done to prevent this from happening to me?”

A valuable part of being a great leader is being able to react and respond not only in critical situations but also to be able to orchestrate a change in direction and potentially take advantage of growth opportunities. How better to develop your leadership expertise than to put yourself into some role playing circumstances, to think about what you would do or should have done, and then to get some advice from business leaders who have been there and done that.

We are extremely excited about having this chance to bring this leadership training to our readers, and we hope you will take advantage of this great opportunity. We encourage you to visit our Web-site at www.silverfox.org to learn more about the Silver Fox Advisors and how they can assist you with your business needs, as well as to discover more about our great programs and community outreach endeavors.