Microsoft Knew of SharePoint Exploit, Failed to Act Swiftly
SharePoint Servers Under Attack Amid Patch Delay
A major cybersecurity concern is unfolding as Microsoft SharePoint servers face widespread exploitation due to a known vulnerability—CVE-2023-29357. Reports confirm that Microsoft was aware of the flaw for months but failed to release an effective patch, leading to active cyberattacks across the globe.
What Happened?
A critical privilege escalation flaw in SharePoint Server, originally reported and partially patched in 2023, is now being exploited in real-world attacks. According to Reuters and The Hindu, security researchers and national CERTs (including CERT-In in India) have issued strong advisories urging immediate administrative action.
Security firm Volexity revealed that threat actors are chaining this vulnerability with other flaws to gain administrative access and deploy malware undetected.
Why It Matters
SharePoint is widely used by businesses and government agencies for internal collaboration. A successful exploit could expose sensitive data, allow privilege escalation, and let attackers take control of servers—posing severe risks to corporate IT infrastructures.
What Should Organizations Do?
According to advisories:
Apply the latest patches immediately.
Restrict access to SharePoint portals.
Monitor unusual user behavior and access logs.
Consider segmentation and zero-trust configurations.
Microsoft has responded by rolling out further mitigation steps, but security experts urge companies to verify patch integrity and implement network-level protections.