Zero-click attacks used to feel like an edge case. Rare, highly technical, and largely out of reach for everyday environments.
That assumption no longer holds.
As AI becomes embedded into Microsoft 365 workflows—summarizing inboxes, scanning documents, acting on user intent—the attack surface has shifted. Threat actors are no longer just targeting people—they’re targeting the systems that act on their behalf. And those systems don’t hesitate, don’t question context, and don’t wait for a click.
For MSPs, this is a pivotal moment. Clients are adopting AI tools faster than they’re governing them, and many don’t realize that the very features driving productivity can also create silent, zero-interaction risk. The video above explores how this new class of exploits works in practice—and why MSPs are uniquely positioned to get ahead of it.
Watch the video, then check out five key takeaways every MSP should understand.
1. Zero-click is no longer theoretical—it’s operational
The defining feature of a zero-click malware is simple: nothing “goes wrong” from a user perspective. No bad link. No suspicious attachment. No poor decision.
The EchoLeak vulnerability showed how a single, specially crafted email could trigger an AI summarizer to exfiltrate sensitive context without the message ever being opened. While that specific flaw has been patched, the lesson remains. Any system that processes content automatically is now a potential execution surface.
For MSPs, this means incident response can no longer rely on user behavior as the starting point. Breaches may occur even when users do everything right.
2. AI agents are the new attack target
Modern attacks aren’t just aimed at humans—they’re aimed at the digital extensions of humans.
Summarizers, copilots, chatbots, and automations all process content continuously. They read messages, interpret instructions, and act with delegated authority. When attackers seed malicious instructions into the content these systems consume, the AI becomes the execution layer—co-opted and turned against its users.
This is a fundamental shift. Security programs built around phishing awareness and endpoint protection don’t fully address threats that bypass the user entirely. MSPs need to start thinking in terms of defending agents, not just accounts.
3. Consent is one of the weakest links in Microsoft 365
OAuth abuse has become one of the most effective paths into cloud environments, and AI tooling has made it easier to disguise.
If users can grant broad app permissions without review, every consent screen becomes a potential breach point. The CoPhish example highlights how legitimate-looking apps, hosted on trusted domains, can still result in catastrophic access once permissions are approved.
The fix isn’t complex, but it must be deliberate: restrict user consent, enforce admin approval workflows, and regularly audit enterprise applications and remove anything unused or over-privileged. This is basic hygiene—and it closes one of the most abused doors in Microsoft 365 today.
4. Non-human identities need first-class security treatment
Bots, service principals, and automations often have more access than any individual user—and far less oversight.
Each one should be treated like a privileged account. Least privilege isn’t optional. Credentials need rotation. Access boundaries need to be explicit. If an automation is manipulated through prompt injection or misconfiguration, strong identity design ensures the blast radius stays small.
For MSPs building and managing these automations at scale, this is an opportunity to differentiate by design—not bolt-on tooling.
5. Architecture beats awareness in AI-driven attacks
Zero-click attacks succeed because they don’t rely on tricking people. They whisper directly to machines.
That changes the defensive mindset. Training still matters, but it’s no longer sufficient. Protection now comes from architecture: controlling what AI systems are allowed to read, what they’re allowed to say, and how far they’re allowed to reach.
Input filtering, output controls, DLP alignment, Safe Links, Safe Attachments, and OAuth monitoring may not sound exciting—but they’re exactly what prevent silent failures from becoming reportable breaches. When incidents do happen, a clear, repeatable response playbook makes the difference between a contained issue and a compliance nightmare.
The message for MSPs is clear. AI isn’t slowing down, and neither are the attackers who are adapting to it. But this shift also creates a chance to move up the value chain—from managing tools to governing trust.
Secure consent. Secure identity. Secure content flows. Do that well, and the AI future stays exciting—not exhausting.
