When Compliance Becomes a Strategic Advantage for Every Business
Written By
Sangeeta Ferrao
Jan 15, 2025
A critical SharePoint zero-day exploited thousands of systems worldwide. Understand how it happened and the security measures you can apply to avoid similar threats.
The goal with any zero-day exploit is simple: stop it before it begins. But that's not always how it plays out.
On a quiet Friday, teams around the world logged off for the weekend, unaware that attackers were logging in.
A critical vulnerability in Microsoft SharePoint was being actively exploited. Hackers bypassed authentication, escalated privileges, and quietly deployed malicious code that gave them full access. It took just seven minutes for some organizations to be compromised.
This wasn’t a simulation. It was CVE-2023-29357; an actual flaw chained with another vulnerability to form the now-infamous ToolShell exploit.
Here’s what we’ve learned: attacks like this may not always be fully preventable, but the damage can be dramatically reduced with the right tools, visibility, and controls in place.
What Actually Happened
Imagine someone cloning a keycard to your building and walking past security completely unnoticed.
That’s essentially what ToolShell did. It tricked SharePoint into believing the attacker was a legitimate admin with no password, no verification. Once inside, attackers installed stealthy web shells that allowed them to return at any time, undetected.
Why Traditional Tools Missed It
The exploit was brand new, no known attack signatures
It targeted on-prem SharePoint servers, often overlooked in modern monitoring
Many organizations hadn’t patched yet, creating a window of exposure
In short: most defenses never saw it coming.
What Security Teams Should Do Now
Even if you weren’t affected, this is a clear signal to strengthen your defenses:
✔️ Apply Microsoft’s June 2023 patch and all follow-ups
✔️ Monitor internal behavior—not just perimeter activity
✔️ Enforce stricter token validation and session controls
✔️ Deploy LockThreat in monitor mode to gain visibility, then enable full protection
How Tools Like LockThreat Can Help
While no system can guarantee zero-day immunity, LockThreat helps organizations reduce exposure, accelerate detection, and respond before damage is done.
LockThreat provides:
Unified visibility across cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments
Real-time threat detection powered by AI and behavioral analytics
Just-in-time access controls to prevent privilege misuse
Deception technology to expose attackers without alerting them
Automated response workflows tied to organizational risk posture
Context-rich alerts that help teams prioritize and act faster
What took attackers seven minutes to execute could be flagged and neutralized in seconds.
By combining security, risk, and compliance into a single platform, LockThreat empowers organizations to adopt a more resilient, GRC-aligned approach to cybersecurity; without slowing down business.
👉 Learn more at www.lockthreat.ai
Newsletter
Enjoyed this read? Subscribe.
Discover design insights, project updates, and tips to elevate your work straight to your inbox.
Unsubscribe at any time

Written By
Sangeeta Ferrao
Updated on
Jan 15, 2025