Spike in SMB-Targeted MFA Fatigue Attacks
Why MFA fatigue attacks are suddenly everywhere for small and mid-sized businesses
Security researchers are seeing a surge in MFA fatigue attacks, and attackers are now zeroing in on SMBs. Because many smaller organizations have weaker authentication policies, they are easier to overwhelm with fake push approvals and trick into granting access.
Introduction
MFA was meant to stop attackers, yet MFA fatigue attacks are turning that strength into a weakness. In these attacks, criminals bombard users with push notifications until someone finally taps “Approve” just to make the prompts stop.
As a result, SMBs are increasingly targeted, since many still rely on simple push approvals and have not yet hardened their MFA methods or enabled number matching. This makes it critical to revisit how authentication works in your environment before these attacks hit your team.
Why It Matters Now
These attacks matter now because SMBs are in the crosshairs, not just large enterprises. Since many smaller companies have less mature authentication setups, attackers see them as easy targets for MFA abuse.
Moreover, security experts are urging organizations to tighten MFA, not turn it off. Guidance from sources like Krebs on Security emphasizes the need to harden MFA with better controls instead of relying only on simple push approvals. Therefore, the timing is important for SMB leaders who may think “we already have MFA, so we’re safe.”
To respond effectively, SMBs should:
- Implement conditional access policies so that risky sign-ins face extra checks.
- Switch from push approvals to more phishing-resistant methods like FIDO2 security keys wherever possible.
- Review sign-in logs for clusters of abnormal MFA attempts that can reveal active MFA fatigue campaigns.
Because attackers are already abusing weak MFA workflows, now is the time to close these gaps before they are used against your organization.
Business Risks of Ignoring This Issue
MFA fatigue is not just a security buzzword; it is a direct business risk. When employees get hammered with prompts, they become frustrated and careless, which makes an eventual “accidental approve” very likely.
If you ignore this trend and keep weak MFA in place, you expose your business to a range of cascading problems. Once an attacker gets in, they can move quickly, impersonate staff, and exploit your systems before anyone notices the original MFA abuse.
Key business risks include:
- Account takeover: Attackers gain full access to email, files, and cloud apps after one mistaken approval.
- Financial loss: Compromised accounts can be used to send fake invoices, change bank details, or approve fraudulent payments.
- Data exposure: Sensitive client data and internal documents become accessible, damaging trust and creating potential legal issues.
- Operational disruption: Attackers may lock accounts, change settings, or disrupt services, slowing or halting day-to-day work.
- Compliance and reputation damage: A breach linked to weak MFA can harm your standing with customers, partners, and auditors.
Because these outcomes often start with a single user tap, it is essential to remove easy approval paths and enforce stronger authentication steps.
How Dynamic Solutions Group Is Solving This for Clients
Dynamic Solutions Group is helping SMB clients rethink MFA so it works for security, not for attackers. While many organizations already use MFA, the real protection comes from how it is implemented and monitored.
First, DSG works with clients to implement conditional access policies. With conditional access, access decisions can change based on factors such as location, device, or sign-in context. So, if something looks unusual, access becomes harder, not easier. This directly helps reduce the impact of MFA fatigue attempts, because risky sign-ins can be blocked or challenged more aggressively.
Second, DSG guides SMBs to move away from simple push approvals. Instead of relying on “Allow / Deny” taps that are easy to abuse, DSG helps clients adopt phishing-resistant options like FIDO2 keys. These hardware-based keys greatly reduce the chance that an attacker can trick a user through endless notifications, since the user must physically interact with a secure device.
Third, DSG assists in reviewing and tuning sign-in logs for abnormal MFA attempts. By regularly looking at sign-in activity, DSG helps spot patterns like repeated MFA prompts or unusual login locations. This allows businesses to detect MFA fatigue behavior early and adjust policies before an incident escalates.
Finally, DSG helps clients enable and standardize stronger MFA experiences, such as options like number matching. When users have to confirm a specific number shown on their login screen, random taps on approval prompts become much less likely, and MFA fatigue attacks become harder to pull off.
Through this combination of conditional access, stronger MFA methods, and proactive log review, Dynamic Solutions Group helps SMBs turn MFA back into a real security control, not a weak spot.
Questions SMB Leaders Should Ask Their MSP
You can use the questions below exactly as written when you speak with your current IT provider or MSP. Copy and paste them into an email or meeting agenda to guide the discussion:
- How are you protecting our organization against MFA fatigue attacks that abuse push notifications?
- Have we implemented conditional access policies to reduce risky sign-ins and abnormal MFA prompts?
- Can you help us move from simple MFA push approvals to phishing-resistant options like FIDO2 keys?
- How often do you review our sign-in logs for abnormal MFA attempts or signs of MFA fatigue attacks?
- Do our current MFA settings include protections such as number matching to prevent accidental approvals?
- What is your plan to harden our authentication policies over the next 6–12 months given the surge in MFA fatigue attacks?
These questions will help you see whether your provider is actively managing this risk, or simply assuming that “MFA is on, so we’re fine.”
Take the Next Step
MFA fatigue attacks show that “having MFA” is no longer enough. SMBs need stronger methods, smarter policies, and better monitoring to stay ahead of attackers who exploit human behavior.
Dynamic Solutions Group can help you implement conditional access, move to phishing-resistant MFA like FIDO2 keys, and review your sign-in logs for abnormal MFA attempts tied to fatigue attacks. For more context on why this is so urgent for smaller organizations, you can also review insights from Krebs on Security on the rise of MFA abuse.
Contact Dynamic Solutions Group today to harden your MFA, reduce your attack surface, and protect your business from the growing wave of SMB-targeted MFA fatigue attacks.
