We Let a Cybersecurity Expert Hack Our LA Office. What Happened Next Will Shock You
Why We Let a Hacker Attack Our Own Office
You’d think an IT company like ours—IT Training & Consulting, Inc. (ITTC)—would have airtight cybersecurity, right? Well, we wanted to prove it. So, we did something crazy: we hired a professional ethical hacker to break into our Los Angeles office. No rules, no limits—just a real-world test of how secure we really were.
The results? Let’s just say we learned a lot—and if you’re a business owner in LA, you need to hear this.
The Hack: How Easy Was It to Break In?
Our hacker, let’s call him “Alex” (because he asked us not to use his real name), was given one goal: get access to our internal systems by any means necessary. No fancy tools, no million-dollar hacking rig—just the kind of tricks a real cybercriminal might use.
Phase 1: The Physical Break-In (Yes, Really)
You might assume cyberattacks happen only online, but Alex started with something much simpler: walking through the front door.
The Fake Delivery Guy Trick – Alex showed up with a package, dressed like a courier. Our receptionist, busy with a call, waved him through without a second thought.
The “Forgotten” USB Stick – He “accidentally” dropped a USB drive near an employee’s desk. Guess what? Someone plugged it in. (Spoiler: It wasn’t filled with cute cat videos.)
Wi-Fi Eavesdropping – From the parking lot, Alex scanned for unsecured devices. Within minutes, he found an employee’s phone auto-connecting to our guest network—no password required.
Lesson: If someone can physically enter your office, your digital security might already be compromised.
Phase 2: The Digital Side—Where Things Got Scary
Once inside, Alex didn’t need Hollywood-level hacking skills. He used basic social engineering and weak passwords to escalate access:
Phishing Emails That Actually Worked – He sent a fake “HR update” email. Three employees clicked the link.
Default Passwords Still in Use – One of our routers still had “admin/admin” as the login. (We’ve since fired… I mean, retrained that team member.)
Unpatched Software – An outdated firewall had a known vulnerability. Alex exploited it in under 10 minutes.
The worst part? This wasn’t some elite spy stuff. These are the same tactics hackers use every day on small businesses in LA.
What This Means for Your Business
You might think, “Well, we’re not an IT company—why would hackers target us?” Here’s the reality:
43% of cyberattacks target small businesses (Verizon 2023 Data Breach Report).
60% of hacked SMBs go out of business within six months (Cybersecurity Ventures).
And in Los Angeles, where tech-savvy criminals know many businesses are underprepared, the risk is even higher.
“But We Have Antivirus!” (Why That’s Not Enough)
Many of our clients tell us, “We have antivirus, so we’re safe.” Unfortunately, that’s like locking your front door but leaving the windows wide open. Modern threats include:
Ransomware (which can encrypt your entire network).
CEO Fraud (fake emails from “your boss” demanding wire transfers).
Cloud Misconfigurations (yes, even Google and Microsoft setups can have gaps).
As Abner Navarro, IT Strategist at ITTC, puts it: “Many of our LA clients don’t realize how much downtime is costing them—until it’s too late.”
How We Fixed Our Security (And How You Can Too)
After the hack, we made immediate changes—and if you’re running a business in California, you should consider these steps too:
Employee Training – The weakest link is often human error. Regular security awareness training cuts risk dramatically.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – No more “password123” disasters.
Regular Penetration Testing – If you don’t test your defenses, hackers will.
24/7 Monitoring – Because threats don’t clock out at 5 PM.
Final Thought: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
We got lucky—this was a controlled test. But real hackers won’t give you a heads-up. If you’re a business owner in LA and want to take the stress out of IT (and sleep better at night), give us a call at (844) 804-4882 or visit it-tc.com.
We’re always happy to talk tech over coffee or Zoom—no hacking required.
