Microsoft Issues Urgent Warning Over SharePoint Server Cyberattacks in 2025

Microsoft has warned about a big cyberattack on its SharePoint servers, which many companies and government offices use to store important documents.

According to Microsoft, hackers have found a new security loophole — a so-called zero-day vulnerability — and are already using it to break into systems. What’s worse, the FBI is now involved, investigating the situation alongside Microsoft as more organizations report suspicious activity.

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Only On-Premises Servers Are Affected – Cloud Is Safe

If your organization is using SharePoint Online (part of Microsoft 365), you’re safe—Microsoft clarified that the cloud version is not affected by this issue. The risk applies only to on-premise installations of SharePoint, specifically the Subscription Edition, as well as the 2016 and 2019 versions.

Microsoft has already released a security patch for the Subscription Edition and is working on fixes for the older versions. In the meantime, companies running those versions have been urged to either update immediately or disconnect the servers from the internet if they can’t patch them right away.

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How the SharePoint Cyberattack Works

The attack takes advantage of a zero-day flaw, meaning it’s a bug or weakness that wasn’t known before and didn’t have a fix. Hackers are using it to perform spoofing attacks—this means they can make themselves look like trusted users or systems within a network.

Hackers could secretly steal important files, change data, or get into private systems. This is very risky for governments, banks, and important services because even a small hack can cause big problems.

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FBI Is Involved, But Details Are Still Limited

The FBI has said that they know about these cyberattacks and are helping to look into them. They are working with other government groups and private companies to understand what is going on. Right now, they have not shared a lot of details with the public. But the fact that the FBI is involved shows that this is a serious issue. It may not be just one small attack—it could be a part of a much bigger and planned hacking attempt. This means many systems could be at risk, and the FBI is trying to find out who is behind it and how to stop it.

Some cybersecurity analysts believe this could be the work of a state-backed group or a highly organized hacking operation due to the level of access and timing.

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What Microsoft Is Advising Right Now

In their official alert, Microsoft laid out what affected organizations should do:

• Install the patch immediately if you’re using the SharePoint Subscription Edition.
• For SharePoint 2016 or 2019, disconnect the servers temporarily if you can’t protect them right now.
• Turn on malware protection and use advanced threat detection tools.
• Follow Microsoft’s official SharePoint security hardening guides to limit exposure.

Microsoft also warned that failing to act could result in data leaks, ransomware, or total system compromise.

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What Is a Zero-Day Exploit, and Why Does It Matter?

A zero-day exploit is one of the worst types of vulnerabilities in cybersecurity. It’s a security hole that the software company doesn’t know about—so there’s no fix or protection in place when it first gets exploited.
That give opportunity to hackers attempt attack on systems while they are unprotected

In this case, the attackers moved fast to take advantage of the SharePoint weakness before a patch was available, putting thousands of servers worldwide at risk.

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Final Word: Patch Now or Disconnect

If your organization is still running on-premises SharePoint servers, now is the time to take action. This is not a drill—active attacks are happening, and they are targeting such systems which is not been updated.

Even if you haven’t noticed anything suspicious, waiting could be risky. Either patch immediately, or isolate your servers from the internet until you can. And for long-term period security, consider shifting to SharePoint Online or another cloud solution with stronger and good protection and faster updates.

Cyber threats are growing or evolving fast. Even trusted tools like SharePoint can become dangerous if left unpatched. Stay alert, stay updated, and stay protected.

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