As a working professional who regularly works with the Microsoft ecosystem seen how SharePoint is the backbone of collaboration for many organisations. Many times, I have seen how a Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability can escalate if the situation is not handled properly.
Nowadays, cyber threats are growing faster than ever; not only the big organizations, but even the small and mid-sized organizations are also at risk of them.
That’s the reason for understanding the different types of risks and how to reduce the attack is essential, not an option anymore. In this article, I am going to share how to minimize the risk of cyber attack, how you will be affected, and what the Microsoft SharePoint cyberattack vulnerability.
Why SharePoint Vulnerabilities Matter More Today
In today’s digital space, many organizations rely on SharePoint for their workflow because it combines with OneDrive, Teams, and the entire Microsoft 365 suite. A single attack can risk all the platforms at the same time, which is not acceptable. Here are some common risks that I have noticed:
- Someone is gaining access to or permissions for some folders that you are not supposed to have.
- Hackers are entering your system with harmful commands.
- Login credentials and settings that are not very strong are an invitation for a hacker.
- Some older versions of the server that are not updated may have security holes that can be breached.
- Add-on tools that are installed from an unknown source usually aren’t built securely.
The combination of any of these with a Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability is easy to breach by the attackers, and helps them gain access to the files stored in document libraries, even they may have access to metadata, workflow logic, and internal communication threads.
Also read: “SharePoint List Cannot Be Deleted While on Hold or Retention Policy”
Common Ways Attackers Take Advantage of SharePoint Weaknesses
Over the years of noticing the audits that I have noticed some common attack methods used by hackers:
- Authentication bypass is one of the common ways, and it happens when the authentication is set poorly by the organization, mostly in hybrid setups, making it easy for attackers to get into some important files.
- Remote Code Execution (RCE) is one of the most dangerous issues because it allows hackers to inject harmful commands directly into the SharePoint server of any organization, and it is hard to resist if not seen early.
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is a harmful script that is used by attackers, and they insert it into SharePoint lists, libraries, and some custom forms.
- Privilege Escalation is the easiest way that an attacker uses to breach. It happens when a small setup mistake is made, which can lead a regular user to gain extra access and act like they own the site.
These are some paths that can lead to a Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability; it mostly happens when an organization fails to fix the loophole through which attackers have an advantage.
Related article: Archive SharePoint Site
Microsoft SharePoint Zero-Day Vulnerability
One of the most cautious situations that I came across was when a client came to me after a zero-day alert was issued by SharePoint. This is the rarest alert but most dangerous, as a zero-day vulnerability means attackers discovered a flaw before Microsoft did. This gives attackers an upper hand because the system is now exposed, and there is no existing official patch to fix it. This is also one of the Microsoft SharePoint cyberattack vulnerability.
When a Microsoft SharePoint Zero-day vulnerability alert occurs, there are some consequences that can include:
- Data will be extracted by the hackers silently
- The attackers have higher-level access
- Attackers are able to create many entries to breach the data for future attacks
- Collection of the full site can be compromised
- You can see lateral movements to Teams, OneDrive, or Exchange.
I still remember the day when one of my clients faced this issue, and he was very devastated, forcing me to spend hours isolating the affected servers and implementing some temporary workarounds till Microsoft had an official fix to it. This issue always reminds me of how critical it is for organisations to review logs regularly, implement strict access controls, and have backup and migration tools as a part of their protection plan.
Microsoft SharePoint CVE-2025-53770 Vulnerability
The recently discussed Microsoft SharePoint CVE-2025-53770 vulnerability has come into light of security professionals. Based on early analysis of this vulnerability, this vulnerability helps the attackers to gain higher access than they should, and they are able to change content without any permission because of a problem in the API. This can lead to microsoft sharepoint vulnerability
From what I have seen over the years while reviewing CVEs, vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-53770 help attackers to:
- Compromising SharePoint Online Permissions without any higher authorization
- Accessing sensitive files that are stored in restricted libraries
- Compromising the workflow of the backend team
- Authority to delete SharePoint site or move unwanted files
- Insert suspicious or malicious metadata
When something like this happens, I always advise organizations to deeply check both on-premises and hybris SharePoint deployments. If your infrastructure is not monitored, it becomes an easy target for attackers and increases the overall risk.
How I Personally Approach SharePoint Security
The process that I personally follow in strengthening SharePoint security involves some behind work and strategic steps that I have filtered over the course of time:
- I always make sure to apply regular patches more frequently, because delaying or avoiding updates can be a threat to Microsoft SharePoint cyberattack vulnerability and opening for the attackers.
- The Least Privilege Access Model is very important for any big or small organisation as it makes sure that the users only get the access and permission of what they need, because giving extra permission can silently create a serious risk to the organization and expose Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability
- I do audits on a regular basis, and during a Secure Integration Audit, I always make sure that solutions that are customised and added to SharePoint don’t create any security risks.
- When it comes to a Backup and Migration Strategy, I always do this: till now, we all know that even the most secure system can be vulnerable to a zero-day or CVE attack. So, it is very important to keep the data backed up offline or cloud using a professional and reliable tool to protect your data, because by any chance, if the attackers have the upper hand, then you also have a backup SharePoint Online to local storage data.
- Monitoring activity logs daily helps in detecting any unusual access or file movements by anyone that can lead to an opening for hackers, which is a significant concern during global cyberattack spikes.
Why I Recommend the Backup for Cyberattacks Precautions
One of the most heard misunderstandings from my clients is that the SharePoint data doesn’t need frequent backups since it lives in the cloud or on a stable server. That’s not true at all, as if a Microsoft SharePoint Vulnerability or cyberattack hits unexpectedly, it can lead to mass deletion.
That’s the reason I advise almost every organization to use a reliable and professional tool like SharePoint to SharePoint Migration Tool as a part of their security.
Here’s how it is useful for them:
- By making a safe copy of your SharePoint data that you can easily move or transfer it when needed.
- It keeps you safe all the time from accidental changes or someone else deleting things on purpose.
- It quickly restores your data. If something goes wrong or after a cyberattack.
- It helps you in moving everything to another tenant or environment when needed, mostly in emergencies.
- It always makes sure that your libraries, permissions, metadata, and versions stay safe and unchanged.
Take it this way, if all of a sudden a cyberattack happens, you won’t panic if your data is backed up safely. Using a tool that I have mentioned above gives you assurance that even in the worst Microsoft SharePoint cyberattack vulnerability won’t happen to your workflow.
Author’s Verdict
After working all these years with SharePoint, I have understood that no matter how much security you have in your organization. Understanding the nature of a Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability, keeping your security, and maintaining strong backup practices are the pillars of long-term safety.
From zero-day vulnerabilities to structured CVEs like the Microsoft SharePoint CVE-2025-53770 vulnerability, each vulnerability has the total potential to destroy any organisation’s data by opening a gate for the data breach. But the right security approach and pre-planned strategy can protect you. The best strategy you can consider is using a professional and reliable toll to take a backup of your data can make a big difference.
FAQ’s
Q. Is it possible that vulnerabilities can affect SharePoint Online?
Yes, vulnerabilities can affect SharePoint Online if not secured properly.
Q. Is SharePoint vulnerability the reason for data loss?
Yes, attacks by hackers can lead to data loss
Q. What is the CVE-2025-53770 vulnerability?
It is a SharePoint security bug that can allow unauthorised access or privilege escalation.
Q. How can hackers target Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability?
They usually get benefits from unpatched servers, weak permissions, or exposed API’s
Q. Is there a way to protect my SharePoint environment?
Yes, there are multiple ways to do this, like applying patches, restricting permissions and keep an eye on logs regularly.