THREAT INTELLIGENCE
Microsoft SharePoint Server Vulnerability Actively Exploited

Peer Review

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5-star rating
4.8

Proven Trust

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High

CVE-2026-45659

Microsoft

July 6, 2026

Executive Summary

A high-severity remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft SharePoint Server is being actively exploited in the wild. Tracked as CVE-2026-45659, the flaw stems from deserialization of untrusted data.

Key Details

Affected Platform

Microsoft SharePoint Server

Attack Surface

Recommended Action

Apply vendor patch

Affected Environment

Microsoft SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, SharePoint Server 2019, and SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016. On-premises deployments are at risk; Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online is not affected.

Operational Impact

Successful exploitation allows full remote code execution on the SharePoint Server. Microsoft has documented concurrent attack activity where Storm-2603 deployed Warlock ransomware following SharePoint exploitation, using tools including Velociraptor, Cloudflare tunnelling, Zoho Assist, and SSH connections via Visual Studio Code. A vulnerable driver (NSecKrnl.sys) was used to tamper with endpoint security controls. A second simultaneous attacker in the same environment used DLL side-loading and custom backdoors, with lateral movement confirmed into a second organisation.

Technical Root Cause

CVE-2026-45659 (CVSS 8.8) - SharePoint Server contains a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability. In a network-based attack, an authenticated attacker with Site Member permissions (PR:L) can leverage this to execute arbitrary code remotely on the SharePoint Server. Admin or elevated privileges are not required to trigger the vulnerability.

Recommended Mitigation

  • Apply Microsoft's May 2026 Patch Tuesday updates immediately across all affected SharePoint Server versions. There are no available workarounds; patching is the only remediation. Prioritise testing and deployment within 24 to 48 hours given confirmed active exploitation.
  • Additionally: enforce the Principle of Least Privilege across all SharePoint accounts; disable or manage default vendor accounts; restrict administrator privileges to dedicated admin accounts; and conduct general computing activities from non-privileged accounts.

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Full Technical Report

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References

The Hacker News - SharePoint RCE CVE-2026-45659. Microsoft Security Blog - One Intrusion, Two Cyberattackers. CISA KEV Alert 2026-07-01. CVE Record: CVE-2026-45659.

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