3CX

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3CX, Inc., is a software development company and developer of the 3CX Phone System.

The 3CX Phone System is a software private branch exchange based on the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) standard to allow calls via the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.

Nick Galea

Nick Galea is the founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of 3CX, a software-based private branch exchange (PBX) provider headquartered in Cyprus. He is known for leading the development of 3CX Phone System, a VoIP PBX solution used globally by small and medium-sized businesses.

Career

Galea founded 3CX in 2005 and initially served as CEO. Under his leadership, the company grew from a Windows-only PBX provider to offering cross-platform support including Linux, Android, and iOS clients. The software became popular due to its web-based interface and support for SIP-standard devices.

In 2023, during a major supply chain attack affecting the 3CX desktop application, Galea oversaw the company's public response, including engaging cybersecurity firm Mandiant and advising customers to uninstall affected versions. His communication during the breach received mixed reactions from the broader IT and managed service provider (MSP) communities.¹²

Controversies

Customer and Partner Relations

Nick Galea has been the subject of criticism from some 3CX users and partners for alleged heavy-handed moderation practices and perceived unprofessional conduct in public forums. Multiple users on Reddit have reported being banned from the official 3CX community forums for raising technical concerns or criticizing company policies.³⁴

A recurring theme in these reports includes:

Forum bans for dissenting feedback: Users claimed Galea personally blocked access to forums or terminated partnerships following criticism.⁴
Removal of public complaints: Several threads were deleted from Reddit and the 3CX community forums after users described negative experiences with Galea or 3CX leadership.³⁵
Alleged partner retaliation: Some partners allege that their access to client accounts was revoked without prior warning.⁶

Supply Chain Incident Response

In March 2023, 3CX was the victim of a high-profile supply chain attack, with desktop clients distributed via trojanized updates. During the incident, Galea issued statements that were later scrutinized for tone. A now-deleted Reddit comment attributed to Galea dismissed concerns by saying the issue was “not an exploit, it’s a feature,” which some MSPs interpreted as flippant.⁷

In addition, 3CX faced backlash for requiring users to pay to open support tickets during the breach, which led to further public criticism from system administrators and IT professionals.¹

References:

“20230329 Situational Awareness - Crowdstrike,” r/crowdstrike, Reddit thread
“3CX desktop app compromised, abused in supply chain attack,” TechTarget, techtarget.com
“My 3CX Partnership Deleted and All Linked Clients Lost,” r/3CX, Reddit thread
“Stay Away from 3CX,” r/3CX, Reddit thread
“Banned from the 3CX Community,” r/3CX, Reddit thread
“Anyone else ever been fired by 3CX as a customer?” r/3CX, Reddit thread
“3CX Compromise Confirmed by Nick,” r/msp, Reddit thread