Slashdot: ‘Tens of Thousands’ of SharePoint Servers at Risk. Microsoft Issues No Patch

Jul 20, 2025

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Source URL: https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/07/20/2340220/tens-of-thousands-of-sharepoint-servers-at-risk-microsoft-issues-no-patch
Source: Slashdot
Title: ‘Tens of Thousands’ of SharePoint Servers at Risk. Microsoft Issues No Patch

Feedly Summary:

AI Summary and Description: Yes

Summary: The text reports on a significant cybersecurity vulnerability affecting hosted SharePoint servers, which has led to widespread breaches in various sectors, including government and private organizations. As researchers uncover the extent of the attacks, they highlight the urgent need for organizations to mitigate risk in the absence of a patch from Microsoft.

Detailed Description: The recent article underscores a critical cybersecurity issue concerning hosted SharePoint servers, with implications for AI, cloud, and infrastructure security professionals, particularly those responsible for data protection and incident response. Key points include:

– **Nature of the Vulnerability**: A substantial vulnerability has been identified in hosted SharePoint servers, impacting tens of thousands of instances globally.
– **Scope of the Attack**: The breach has affected a wide range of organizations, including U.S. federal and state agencies, educational institutions, and private companies in sectors such as energy and telecommunications.

– **Urgent Response Needed**:
– Experts emphasize the urgent need for organizations to respond quickly, as Microsoft has not yet issued a patch.
– Suggested mitigations include modifications to SharePoint programs or, as a last resort, disconnecting them from the internet to prevent further exploitation.

– **Implications of Unauthorized Access**:
– The breach carries the potential for data theft, including sensitive information and email credentials, which can severely impact organizations across various domains.
– Notably, hackers have reportedly gained access to keys that could allow them to regain entry to compromised servers even after patches are applied.

– **Extent of Compromise**:
– Over 50 breaches have been tracked, with reports of compromised governmental agencies in both the U.S. and Europe, revealing the global reach of the cyber threat.
– Affected organizations were primarily warned by the Center for Internet Security, highlighting the importance of information sharing and collaboration among cybersecurity entities.

– **Ongoing Investigations**: The investigation remains active, with researchers and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) actively engaged in assessing the situation and advising affected parties.

In summary, this cybersecurity incident illustrates the critical need for continuous monitoring, proactive threat mitigation strategies, and efficient incident response plans, especially in environments relying heavily on cloud services and collaboration platforms like SharePoint.

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