Five Nines Technology Group

Challenge | Outdated infrastructures meet identity attacks

Five Nines was seeing a surge in password-spray attacks targeting their clients’ VPNs. These attacks, where hackers repeatedly try common passwords on multiple accounts, became so frequent that they caused denial-of-service problems for clients, seriously disrupting their daily operations. Users faced lockouts of their own accounts, and the flood of VPN connection attempts overwhelmed firewalls, making them unresponsive to regular internet traffic.

Kahle pointed out that these weren’t just small hiccups. They had serious consequences for businesses, employees, and the communities they serve.

To keep clients safer, they knew they needed to adopt a stronger, more proactive approach to security.

The turning point | Adopting 24/7, fully managed protection

To keep up with evolving identity threats, Five Nines needed more than just extra tools. They needed a real partner. 

As Kahle explains, relying only on preventive measures wasn’t cutting it anymore. They needed around-the-clock monitoring and rapid response to ensure full protection.

That’s why Five Nines selected Huntress for Managed Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) and Managed Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). 

Five Nines promptly upgraded clients to the Huntress Managed Platform. While the switch came with a slight bump in service costs, clients quickly got on board once they saw how much safer they were.

As Kahle proudly says, “We didn’t lose a single client."

The decision to deploy Huntress mandatorily to all clients wasn’t taken lightly. We went mid-contract and told every client there’d be a price increase to cover this. We didn’t lose a single client because they trust us.

The incident | Catching an identity attack before it escalated

In November 2024, Five Nines faced a real-world challenge when a threat actor used stolen credentials to exploit an outdated Cisco AnyConnect VPN. Around 5:50am, Managed ITDR picked up suspicious activity—early signs of reconnaissance and lateral movement—on a client’s network. The Huntress AI-assisted Security Operations Center (SOC) quickly stepped in to stop the threat from spreading.

“Huntress did a full environment isolation,” says Kahle. “What could’ve been a ransomware attack ended up being a non-event.”

With the malicious hacker locked out, Five Nines moved fast to contain the threat, lock down the vulnerable VPN, and ensure it couldn’t be used as a foothold again. By 8:10am, client systems were restored, with only a few endpoints needing follow-up remediation.

Had this incident gone unresolved, it could’ve led to data exfiltration, extortion, or full-blown ransomware deployment. But thanks to Five Nines’ proactive planning, rapid response, and their partnership with Huntress, a potentially devastating breach became just another busy morning—and powerful proof for why clients trust them for their cybersecurity needs.

The payoff | Faster recovery, stronger defenses, and confident clients

Partnering with Huntress has helped Five Nines take security to the next level for their clients. Kahle and his team have noticed some great benefits, including:

• Faster threat response: Managed EDR has an impressive mean-time-to-respond (MTTR) of eight minutes, and Managed ITDR has an MTTR of only three minutes.

• Less downtime for clients: Five Nines has found most threats are resolved within a few hours.

• One team advantage: Huntress solutions are built specifically for and managed by the SOC, creating a smooth integration between people and tech. This means almost no delays in detection or response—just fast, around-the-clock protection.

• Enterprise-grade cybersecurity for ALL: Big or small, every Five Nines client now enjoys top-tier cybersecurity they can count on.

• Staying on top of compliance: Huntress combines advanced technology with expert insights to help Five Nines meet stringent requirements found in industries such as healthcare and finance.

• Loyal clients: Even with pricing changes, clients stick around because they see the unbeatable value Five Nines delivers.

Five Nines isn’t waiting for disasters to strike. They’re staying ahead of threats, empowering businesses of every size, and setting a new standard for reliable, effective security.