The MSP Minute ⏱ Friday 22 May 2026
For Managed Service Providers worldwide. Today... Microsoft just dismantled a criminal operation... AI agents are changing what MSPs need to deliver for clients... and Elon's space AI for your client?
🔴 Microsoft took down a malware-signing service used by multiple ransomware gangs… including ones targeting your clients
Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit has dismantled Fox Tempest, a criminal operation that ran as a signing-as-a-service platform for ransomware groups.
Attackers would submit their malware binaries and receive back digitally signed versions that appeared to be legitimate software. The signed malware was then distributed disguised as installers for Microsoft Teams, AnyDesk, PuTTY, and Webex… yes, the exact tools your clients trust and download regularly. The Hacker News
Microsoft seized the Fox Tempest domain, took hundreds of virtual machines offline, and revoked over 1,000 fraudulent code-signing certificates.
The practical takeaway for your clients is how important it is to verify software downloads through official sources. These fake installers reach victims when someone clicked a sponsored result that wasn’t the official software.
🟡 AI agents are changing what clients expect from their MSP
Zendesk announced at its Relate conference this week a fundamental shift: from chatbot deflection to autonomous AI agents across its entire platform. And it was explicit that channel partners are central to making it work. Channel Dive
The SVP of partner sales told Channel Dive: “This is really a move from helping customers set up simple bots to helping them rethink how service gets done. It’s less about how do we deflect this ticket, and more about how we design an AI-powered service operation that actually resolves issues end to end.”
🟢 SpaceX just filed for the biggest IPO in history. And buried inside is something relevant to MSPs
SpaceX filed its S-1 with the SEC on Wednesday. It’s the formal start of what could be the largest IPO in corporate history, targeting a Nasdaq listing under the ticker SPCX in June. Fortune
The fun bit buried in the filing: Did you know that Starlink accounts for 70% of revenue?
And SpaceX plans to begin deploying AI compute satellites into Sun-synchronous orbit as early as 2028, effectively positioning space as the next data centre frontier, powered by solar energy. They’re calling it orbital AI infrastructure. Fancy.
The MSP angle: Starlink Business is already a growing line in MSP service catalogues (especially for clients in rural or remote locations, or as a backup connectivity solution).
If SpaceX goes public at the valuations being discussed, Starlink’s investment in its business product line is only going one way. Worth knowing about before your clients ask.
That’s your lot for this week. We’re having a day off on Monday as i’s a public holiday here in the UK. So we’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday morning. Have a great weekend.