Microsoft Identifies Chinese Hacker Groups Exploiting SharePoint Vulnerabilities – Sharepoint Vulnerability Exploitation

Overview

Microsoft has officially attributed ongoing cyberattacks targeting SharePoint Server to three Chinese hacking groups: Linen Typhoon, Violet Typhoon, and Storm-2603. These groups have been actively engaged in SharePoint vulnerability exploitation, focusing particularly on flaws in on-premises SharePoint systems since early July 2025, using sophisticated techniques to gain unauthorized access and deploy malicious web shells.

Technical Breakdown

• Vulnerabilities Involved:
  • CVE-2025-49706 (spoofing flaw)
  • CVE-2025-49704 (remote code execution)
  • Bypasses: CVE-2025-53771 and CVE-2025-53770
• Attack Method: Exploitation via POST requests to the ToolPane endpoint, enabling authentication bypass and remote code execution, a method frequently exploited by hackers targeting SharePoint vulnerabilities.
• Malware Used: Web shell variants named spinstall0.aspx, spinstall1.aspx, etc., used to extract MachineKey data.

Mitigation Recommendations

Microsoft urges all organizations to:

• Apply the latest updates for SharePoint Server 2016, 2019, and Subscription Edition in order to prevent exploitation of vulnerabilities.
• Rotate ASP.NET machine keys.
• Restart IIS services.
• Enable AMSI in Full Mode.
• Deploy Microsoft Defender for Endpoint or equivalent security solutions.