Your Backup App Became the Way In: Checking Microsoft 365 After the ConnectWise Incident

ConnectWise Cloud Backup breach and Microsoft 365 checks

Most firms think of their backup tool as the safety net. In mid-October 2026 it turned into the risk. Between 13 and 15 October, attackers used a stolen credential for the ConnectWise Cloud Backup app (once called SkyKick) to get access tokens inside customers' Microsoft 365 tenants. ConnectWise has since switched the app off.

If your IT partner ever connected this tool for you, it is worth an hour of checking this week.

Who should look

  • Anyone using ConnectWise Cloud Backup or SkyKick backup for Microsoft 365
  • Companies whose managed service provider set the tool up on their behalf
  • Tenants that also have other ConnectWise or SkyKick Cloud Management apps approved

Huntress confirmed unauthorised sign-ins in 162 tenants as of 16 October. ConnectWise says it found no sign that stored backup data was accessed.

A short checklist for your admin

  • Open Entra admin center, go to Enterprise applications and find the ConnectWise or SkyKick apps.
  • Disable them. Do not delete them.
  • Look for client secrets or certificates added since 13 October.
  • Strip admin roles these apps do not need.
  • Search sign-in and audit logs for 15 and 16 October.
  • Plan for the backup gap while the app is off, for example a temporary second backup.

The bigger lesson: one vendor credential can reach every tenant where its app is approved, so it pays to review all connected third-party apps, not only this one.

Read the full guide with all seven steps and the FAQ here: ConnectWise Cloud Backup breach: check your Microsoft 365

Published by Affix Center, a Mumbai-based IT services company. See our cyber security services.

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