CVE-2024-38094: CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Microsoft Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016
Microsoft SharePoint Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2024-38094 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-502, which involves deserialization of untrusted data in Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016, specifically version 16.0.0. Deserialization vulnerabilities occur when an application deserializes data from untrusted sources without proper validation, allowing attackers to manipulate the data to execute arbitrary code. In this case, the vulnerability enables remote code execution (RCE) without requiring user interaction, but it does require the attacker to have high privileges (PR:H), indicating that some level of authenticated access or elevated permissions is necessary. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.2 (high), reflecting the vulnerability's potential to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), and the attack complexity is low (AC:L), meaning exploitation is feasible if the attacker has the required privileges. The vulnerability is currently published with no known exploits in the wild, but the presence of a public disclosure increases the risk of future exploitation. The vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, or disruption of SharePoint services. Since SharePoint is widely used in enterprise environments for collaboration and document management, exploitation could have severe operational and reputational consequences. No official patches were linked at the time of disclosure, so organizations must monitor vendor updates closely. The vulnerability’s requirement for high privileges suggests that attackers might first need to compromise lower-level accounts or exploit other vulnerabilities to escalate privileges before leveraging this RCE.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-38094 can be significant due to the widespread use of Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016 in government, finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure sectors. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized remote code execution, allowing attackers to gain control over SharePoint servers, access sensitive documents, manipulate data, or disrupt collaboration workflows. This could result in data breaches, intellectual property theft, operational downtime, and loss of trust. Given the integration of SharePoint with other enterprise systems, a compromised SharePoint server could serve as a pivot point for lateral movement within networks, amplifying the damage. The requirement for high privileges limits the attack surface but also emphasizes the importance of strict access controls. European organizations with regulatory obligations under GDPR and other data protection laws face additional compliance risks if sensitive data is exposed. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the public disclosure increases the urgency for mitigation.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Apply official security patches from Microsoft immediately once available to remediate the vulnerability. 2. Restrict administrative and elevated privileges on SharePoint servers to the minimum necessary, employing the principle of least privilege. 3. Monitor SharePoint server logs and network traffic for unusual or unauthorized activity indicative of exploitation attempts. 4. Implement network segmentation to isolate SharePoint servers from less trusted network zones, reducing exposure to potential attackers. 5. Use application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions to detect and block suspicious code execution on SharePoint servers. 6. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments focusing on privilege escalation paths that could enable exploitation. 7. Educate administrators on secure configuration and the risks associated with deserialization vulnerabilities. 8. Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 9. Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing SharePoint-related breaches to enable rapid containment and recovery.
Affected Countries
Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden
CVE-2024-38094: CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Microsoft Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016
Description
Microsoft SharePoint Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
CVE-2024-38094 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-502, which involves deserialization of untrusted data in Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016, specifically version 16.0.0. Deserialization vulnerabilities occur when an application deserializes data from untrusted sources without proper validation, allowing attackers to manipulate the data to execute arbitrary code. In this case, the vulnerability enables remote code execution (RCE) without requiring user interaction, but it does require the attacker to have high privileges (PR:H), indicating that some level of authenticated access or elevated permissions is necessary. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.2 (high), reflecting the vulnerability's potential to compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The attack vector is network-based (AV:N), and the attack complexity is low (AC:L), meaning exploitation is feasible if the attacker has the required privileges. The vulnerability is currently published with no known exploits in the wild, but the presence of a public disclosure increases the risk of future exploitation. The vulnerability could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, or disruption of SharePoint services. Since SharePoint is widely used in enterprise environments for collaboration and document management, exploitation could have severe operational and reputational consequences. No official patches were linked at the time of disclosure, so organizations must monitor vendor updates closely. The vulnerability’s requirement for high privileges suggests that attackers might first need to compromise lower-level accounts or exploit other vulnerabilities to escalate privileges before leveraging this RCE.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-38094 can be significant due to the widespread use of Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2016 in government, finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure sectors. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized remote code execution, allowing attackers to gain control over SharePoint servers, access sensitive documents, manipulate data, or disrupt collaboration workflows. This could result in data breaches, intellectual property theft, operational downtime, and loss of trust. Given the integration of SharePoint with other enterprise systems, a compromised SharePoint server could serve as a pivot point for lateral movement within networks, amplifying the damage. The requirement for high privileges limits the attack surface but also emphasizes the importance of strict access controls. European organizations with regulatory obligations under GDPR and other data protection laws face additional compliance risks if sensitive data is exposed. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the public disclosure increases the urgency for mitigation.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Apply official security patches from Microsoft immediately once available to remediate the vulnerability. 2. Restrict administrative and elevated privileges on SharePoint servers to the minimum necessary, employing the principle of least privilege. 3. Monitor SharePoint server logs and network traffic for unusual or unauthorized activity indicative of exploitation attempts. 4. Implement network segmentation to isolate SharePoint servers from less trusted network zones, reducing exposure to potential attackers. 5. Use application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions to detect and block suspicious code execution on SharePoint servers. 6. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments focusing on privilege escalation paths that could enable exploitation. 7. Educate administrators on secure configuration and the risks associated with deserialization vulnerabilities. 8. Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access to reduce the risk of credential compromise. 9. Prepare incident response plans specifically addressing SharePoint-related breaches to enable rapid containment and recovery.
Affected Countries
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Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.1
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2024-06-11T22:36:08.183Z
- Cisa Enriched
- true
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 682d981ec4522896dcbdb996
Added to database: 5/21/2025, 9:08:46 AM
Last enriched: 10/14/2025, 11:32:49 PM
Last updated: 10/16/2025, 12:47:51 PM
Views: 19
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