Microsoft’s Major SharePoint 2025 Update: 7 New Features That Transform Team Collaboration

A fast-moving zero-day vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-53770, is putting thousands of on-premises SharePoint Server deployments at immediate risk. Microsoft disclosed the critical flaw in its July 2025 security update roll-up and confirmed active exploitation in the wild, urging administrators to “assume compromise” until systems are patched. Why CVE-2025-53770 matters The bug allows unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges—effectively handing over full control of the SharePoint farm. Security researchers say threat actors are chaining the exploit with simple PowerShell payloads to create new global-admin accounts, exfiltrate document libraries, and pivot deeper into corporate networks. According to Microsoft telemetry, more than 75 organizations across government, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing have already reported breaches tied to this flaw. Who is affected • SharePoint Server 2019, 2016, and 2013 (all on-prem editions) • Hybrid environments that expose the SharePoint web front-end to the internet • Organizations that have not yet deployed the July 2025 cumulative update or enabled Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) hardening SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365 is not vulnerable. However, many enterprises still host sensitive intranet portals and Power Apps integrations on-prem, leaving a sizable attack surface. Attack timeline • July 8: Microsoft pushes a preliminary fix in Patch Tuesday releases. • July 15–18: Security vendors observe a spike in exploit attempts targeting unpatched servers. • July 20: CISA issues an emergency directive instructing federal agencies to apply the update within 48 hours, warning of data theft and potential ransomware deployment. • July 21: Microsoft revises its advisory, confirming “coordinated, large-scale attacks” and publishing additional indicators of compromise (IOCs). Immediate mitigation steps 1. Patch now: Install the July 2025 cumulative update for your SharePoint Server version. This is the only fully supported remediation. 2. Enable AMSI: Set the Anti-Malware Scan Interface registry keys to block suspicious script activity. 3. Restrict external access: If patching is delayed, temporarily disable inbound HTTP/HTTPS to SharePoint or place the front-end behind a VPN. 4. Hunt for abuse: Review ULS logs for unknown users, unusual ASMX calls, or sudden permission changes; monitor outbound traffic for large ZIP or PST files. 5. Reset credentials: Rotate all SharePoint farm service accounts and invalidate unmanaged access tokens. Long-term security best practices • Migrate to SharePoint Online or Azure-based hosting to benefit from Microsoft 365’s continuous patching model. • Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules that detect suspicious SOAP and REST queries. • Adopt least-privilege design: remove legacy farm administrator accounts, enforce multifactor authentication, and integrate Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs). • Schedule quarterly penetration tests of collaboration platforms and automate configuration drift detection. Business impact Successful exploitation can leak intellectual property, compliance documents, and employee PII stored in SharePoint document libraries. Lateral movement often leads to Active Directory takeover, resulting in ransomware deployment and costly downtime. For regulated sectors, unpatched SharePoint instances now represent a material cybersecurity risk that could trigger fines under GDPR, HIPAA, or SOX. What industry voices are saying • John Lambert, Microsoft Threat Intelligence: “This is one of the most serious SharePoint attacks we’ve tracked since 2020. Unpatched servers are being scanned every few minutes.” • Jen Easterly, CISA Director: “Federal and critical-infrastructure entities must treat CVE-2025-53770 as an active intrusion scenario, not a hypothetical.” • Keren Elazari, Security Analyst: “The exploit code is so trivial that script-kiddie forums are already sharing step-by-step tutorials.” Bottom line SharePoint remains a cornerstone of enterprise collaboration, but the CVE-2025-53770 zero-day underscores the urgency of proactive patch management and migration planning. Organizations that prioritize the July 2025 security update, harden server configurations, and monitor for post-compromise activity can dramatically reduce risk. Delay, and attackers may already be inside your corporate vault.