Client-Server Technology Group, Inc.

Business acquisitions usually come with a mix of excitement and headaches. New clients, new systems, new staff, new processes.

But there’s one bonus extra no one wants: A hidden ransomware infection 🦠

And yes… it’s happening more often than you’d think.

Cybersecurity researchers have revealed that every Akira ransomware attack they studied between June and October 2025 started the same way: The victim had acquired another company.

And that company brought along compromised hardware the new owners didn’t even know existed 😬

In other words: Two businesses merged, the attackers had already slipped into one, and the infection simply moved into its new home along with everything else.

The weak spot in most cases?
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Unpatched SonicWall SSL VPN devices. That’s the gear used for secure remote access.

A new vulnerability was discovered in July, and Akira jumped on it fast.

Even businesses with MFA (multi factor authentication) were affected if their devices weren’t fully patched.

SonicWall later released an urgent fix for a high-severity flaw (CVE-2025-40601, for the techies), which could let attackers crash firewalls or break in remotely. Gen7 and Gen8 devices were affected. Older models were safe.
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We don’t yet know whether attackers targeted companies because they were being acquired,�or whether these businesses were simply running vulnerable equipment and just happened to be acquired later.

Either way, the lesson is the same…

🔎 If you’re buying or merging with another company, treat their IT like an unknown quantity.
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Don’t assume things are safe. Don’t assume things are patched. Don’t assume you’re starting from a clean slate.

A proper cyber health check, before, during and after the acquisition, can save you from inheriting a very expensive surprise (I can help with that).
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💭 If you were acquiring a business tomorrow, how confident would you feel about the state of their IT?

Is your business truly ready for a cyber incident? 🛡️ It’s no longer just about building a "bigger wall"—it's about how fast you can bounce back.

This month, we’re diving into Cyber Resilience and why recovery is the key to saving your reputation.

Read more:

February Newsletter 2026 Stay ahead of modern cyber threats with our February 2026 newsletter, featuring insights on cyber resilience, AI developments, Microsoft updates, and essential tips for protecting your business.

There’s a tiny little Windows app that’s suddenly grown up… and it might save you a chunk of time every week.

Notepad.
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Yes, the same Notepad many of you probably last opened sometime around 2004 😄

Microsoft has been quietly giving it a makeover, and now you can create tables in the app… just like in Word.

Before you roll your eyes thinking it sounds fiddly, honestly, it’s not. It’s easier than Word in some cases.
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You open Notepad, look at the formatting toolbar at the top, and click the new Table button.

A little pop-up appears where you choose how many rows and columns you want, for example, 3 by 4.

Tap Insert and… POW… Nice tidy table 💥

So now you can make things like:
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• Neat to-do lists�
• Simple comparisons�
• Tracking sheets�
• Client notes

…all without opening Word, waiting for it to load, and wondering why your document suddenly jumped to page 9 for no reason 😉

Last year, Notepad got rich text formatting. In other words, you can use bold, italic, underline, bullet points and the other things you’d normally expect in a word processor.

All this new formatting is what Microsoft calls “lightweight”. Translation: It doesn’t slow your computer down ⚡️
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I love that.

If you prefer Notepad the old way (plain, clean, nothing fancy) you can turn these features off in Settings.

Even things like auto-recovery or Notepad’s Copilot integration (which only works if you pay for Microsoft 365 Copilot anyway) can be disabled.

But I think this is one of those small but mighty updates. The kind that helps you stay organized without feeling like you’re wrestling with software.

🤔 Tell me, do you prefer your tools simple and clean, or do you like having more power and features at your fingertips?