For 21 years, the software company Kaseya laboured in relative obscurity – at least until cybercriminals exploited it in early July for a massive ransomware attack that snarled businesses around the world and escalated US-Russia diplomatic tensions.

But it turns out that the recent hack wasn’t the first major cybersecurity problem to hit the Miami-based company and its core product, which IT teams use to remotely monitor and administer workplace computer systems and other devices.