MSP stands for Managed Service Provider: a company that runs IT or security services for multiple customers, usually from a shared management platform. In cyber security, MSPs are important because they often have privileged access to endpoints, networks, backups, identity systems, and cloud tenants. That access makes them efficient defenders, but also high-value targets.
Attackers may compromise an MSP to reach many downstream organizations at once, steal credentials, abuse remote management tools, or deliver malicious updates through trusted support channels. Defenders rely on MSPs for monitoring, patching, and incident response, but they need strong tenant separation, multi-factor authentication, least privilege, detailed logging, and careful approval workflows to avoid cross-customer mistakes and limit blast radius.