CVE-2024-38024 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016, specifically version 16.0.0. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-502, which involves deserialization of untrusted data. This type of vulnerability occurs when an application deserializes data from an untrusted source without sufficient validation, allowing an attacker to manipulate the serialized data to execute arbitrary code. In this case, the flaw enables remote code execution (RCE) on the affected SharePoint server. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 7.2, indicating a high severity level. The vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C) reveals that the attack can be performed remotely over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), but requires high privileges (PR:H) and no user interaction (UI:N). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), and the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high (C:H/I:H/A:H). The exploit code is not currently known to be in the wild. The vulnerability was published on July 9, 2024, with the reservation date on June 11, 2024. No official patches or mitigation links were provided at the time of this report. Given the nature of SharePoint as a widely used enterprise collaboration platform, this vulnerability poses a significant risk if exploited, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely with elevated privileges, leading to full system compromise, data theft, or disruption of services.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-38024 could be substantial. SharePoint is extensively used across Europe in both public and private sectors for document management and collaboration. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate or governmental data, disruption of critical business processes, and potential lateral movement within networks. The high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability means that attackers could exfiltrate confidential information, modify or delete critical data, or cause denial of service. Given the requirement for high privileges, exploitation might be limited to insiders or attackers who have already gained some level of access, but the lack of user interaction needed increases the risk of automated exploitation once initial access is obtained. This could affect sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure, where SharePoint is commonly deployed. Additionally, the absence of known exploits in the wild currently provides a window for organizations to implement mitigations before active exploitation begins.

European organizations should prioritize the following specific mitigation steps: 1) Immediately assess and inventory all SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016 deployments, focusing on version 16.0.0. 2) Monitor official Microsoft channels closely for the release of security patches or updates addressing CVE-2024-38024 and apply them promptly once available. 3) Restrict administrative privileges on SharePoint servers to the minimum necessary to reduce the risk of privilege escalation. 4) Implement network segmentation and firewall rules to limit external and internal access to SharePoint servers, especially restricting access to trusted IP ranges. 5) Enable and review detailed logging and monitoring on SharePoint servers to detect unusual deserialization activities or anomalous remote code execution attempts. 6) Conduct internal security audits and penetration tests focusing on deserialization vulnerabilities and privilege escalation paths within SharePoint environments. 7) Educate IT and security teams about the risks of deserialization vulnerabilities and the importance of applying principle of least privilege and secure coding practices in custom SharePoint extensions or integrations. 8) Consider deploying application-layer firewalls or runtime application self-protection (RASP) solutions that can detect and block malicious deserialization payloads.