The July 2025 ransomware attack on Ingram Micro disrupted next-day hardware deliveries, cloud licensing, and warranty services used by thousands of MSPs and SMEs.
This incident shows how vulnerable our digital supply chains have become - and why now is the time to strengthen yours.
In this breakdown, we explain what happened, what it means for your business, and the essential steps to protect your operations from third-party cyber incidents.
👇 Read on to see how this attack unfolded - and how ITbuilder helps prevent the next one.
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Ingram Micro, one of the world's largest technology distributors, suffered a devastating ransomware attack on July 3, 2025, that brought its global operations to a standstill for several days [LINK].
The breach was orchestrated by SafePay, an emerging and particularly aggressive ransomware group (😅despite sounding like a payment app!) that has rapidly become one of the most active cybercriminal organisations in 2025.
The attack began when SafePay exploited vulnerabilities in Ingram Micro's GlobalProtect VPN system, likely using compromised credentials or password spray attacks to bypass security controls [LINK] [LINK].
SafePay exploited a mis-configured GlobalProtect VPN at Ingram Micro, using stolen credentials to sidestep MFA and spread ransomware across the network in under 24 hours. Once inside, the gang deployed a QDoor backdoor for persistence, abused legitimate tools like ScreenConnect, deleted shadow copies, and unleashed high-speed ChaCha20 encryption on more than 60 file types, crippling order and licensing systems relied on by partners worldwide.
The compromise exposes a stark supply-chain reality: if a tier-one distributor goes down, UK SMEs lose stock, project timelines, and revenue. Business leaders must demand verifiable MFA on supplier VPNs, schedule independent security audits, segment their own networks, and maintain tested, off-site backups to ensure they can keep serving customers even when a key vendor is offline. [LINK]
Within hours, ransom notes appeared on employee devices, forcing the company to proactively shut down critical systems including its AI-powered Xvantage platform and Impulse licensing tools [LINK].
The incident disrupted order processing, shipping confirmations, and customer communications across the company's global network, which serves nearly 170,000 customers in approximately 200 countries.
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Supply-Chain Dependency |
Business Impact When a Distributor Falls |
Real-World Example |
|
Just-in-Time Hardware |
Project delays, SLA breaches, cash-flow squeeze |
Ingram Micro’s outage halted next-day server deliveries |
|
Cloud Licence Provisioning |
Users locked out of SaaS, loss of productivity |
Impulse platform offline for MSPs |
|
Warranty Returns & RMAs |
Extended downtime on failed assets |
RMA portal unreachable during attack |
✅Xvantage ordering, Impulse licensing, and regional e-commerce portals went dark, delaying shipments worth an estimated £107 million per day.
✅Reseller and MSP partners scrambled to source hardware elsewhere, exposing them to contract penalties and lost trust.
🛠️Technical Weaknesses That Enabled the Breach
The Ingram Micro breach exposes several critical vulnerabilities that UK businesses must understand:
The Ingram Micro incident has relevance for UK businesses, especially those dependent on large technology suppliers:
Industry analysts estimate that Ingram Micro faced daily revenue losses of up to £107 million while systems remained offline. For UK businesses relying on Ingram Micro for hardware, software, and cloud services, the outage caused project delays, inventory shortages, and operational disruptions during a critical end-of-quarter period.
The incident underscores broader supply chain vulnerabilities affecting UK organisations. Recent research shows that 95% of UK organisations experienced negative impacts from cybersecurity incidents in their supply chain, significantly higher than the global average of 81%. Furthermore, 34% of UK businesses have no way of knowing when a cybersecurity incident occurs within their supply chain.
UK businesses face increasing scrutiny regarding supply chain security, particularly with the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill. The Ingram Micro breach serves as a stark reminder that organisations can face significant disruption and potential regulatory consequences when their suppliers suffer cybersecurity incidents.
The Ingram Micro breach isn’t just a big tech headline, it’s a wake-up call for UK SMEs. Even if your systems weren’t directly affected, the fallout highlights three critical truths:
⚠️Your suppliers are your attack surface. If a distributor is compromised, your operations, from hardware orders to cloud licences, are too.
🖥️Remote access is still a weak link. Misconfigured VPNs, weak credentials, or unmonitored endpoints create fast-moving attack vectors.
📋Ransomware is a supply chain issue. It’s not just your data at risk, but your ability to serve customers, meet SLAs, and maintain cash flow.
✅This is the time to assess your readiness, not just your defences, but your ability to operate when a key partner is down
ITbuilder's comprehensive approach to managed IT services directly addresses the vulnerabilities exposed by the Ingram Micro incident:
Our 24/7 managed security services provide continuous monitoring and threat detection across your entire IT infrastructure. Unlike reactive approaches, our proactive monitoring identifies potential threats before they can compromise your systems, helping prevent the type of access that led to the Ingram Micro breach.
ITbuilder helps UK businesses evaluate and mitigate supply chain cybersecurity risks through comprehensive vendor assessments and security audits. We work with clients to identify critical dependencies and develop contingency plans that ensure business continuity even when key suppliers face disruptions.
Our managed network services include robust VPN configuration and management with mandatory multi-factor authentication. We regularly assess and update remote access security to prevent the type of credential-based attacks that compromised Ingram Micro's systems.
ITbuilder's managed backup services ensure that your critical data remains protected and recoverable even in the event of a ransomware attack. Our solutions include automated testing and offsite storage to guarantee rapid recovery capabilities.
For businesses with existing IT teams, our co-managed services provide additional expertise and resources to strengthen cybersecurity posture without replacing internal capabilities. This approach helps organisations implement enterprise-level security measures while maintaining operational control.
Based on the Ingram Micro incident, UK businesses should immediately implement these protective measures:
The Ingram Micro incident shows how fragile even the biggest vendors can be.
Let ITbuilder help you build resilience where it counts.
✅ Request a free cyber risk review
✅ Get a supply chain audit and security check
✅ Access co-managed IT support that enhances internal capacity
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