2026-009: Critical Vulnerabilities in Microsoft SharePoint
WatchTowr observed active exploitation of SharePoint RCE CVE-2026-50522 (CVSS 9.8), part of an ongoing wave of exploited on-prem SharePoint flaws patched by Microsoft.
On 14 July 2026 Microsoft released updates for critical SharePoint Server RCE flaws, including CVE-2026-50522 (CVSS 9.8), a deserialisation vulnerability possibly exploitable without authentication. On 20 July 2026 WatchTowr published PoC exploit code and observed active exploitation of CVE-2026-50522, prompting CISA to urge SharePoint hardening. The advisory also covers recently fixed SharePoint flaws: CVE-2026-32201 (6.5, spoofing), CVE-2026-45659 (8.8, authenticated RCE), CVE-2026-56164 (9.8, unauthenticated privilege escalation), and CVE-2026-58644 (9.8, unauthenticated RCE). Affected products include SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, 2019, and Enterprise Server 2016; CERT-EU recommends immediate patching, credential rotation, and compromise assessments.
SharePoint RCE CVE-2026-45659 Added to CISA KEV After Active Exploitation
CISA adds actively exploited SharePoint RCE CVE-2026-45659 (CVSS 8.8) to KEV; an August 11 update confirms ransomware groups are exploiting the flaw.
CVE-2026-45659 is a deserialization of untrusted data RCE in Microsoft SharePoint Server affecting Subscription Edition, 2019, and 2016, patched by Microsoft in May 2026. An authenticated attacker with at least Site Member permissions can execute code remotely over the network. CISA added the flaw to its KEV catalog on July 2 with a July 4 deadline for federal agencies, and on August 11 confirmed ransomware groups are exploiting it. Microsoft separately described Storm-2603 (Warlock ransomware) and an unrelated actor co-existing in one network, with initial access likely via the Gladinet Triofox flaw CVE-2025-11371 (CVSS 9.1).
CVE-2026-33824: CISA Flags Windows IKE RCE as Exploited
CISA added four actively exploited vulnerabilities to its KEV catalog, headlined by CVE-2026-33824, a Windows IKE Service Extensions remote code execution flaw.
CISA's KEV addition, dated August 18, covers CVE-2026-33824 in Windows IKE Service Extensions, CVE-2026-55040 in on-premises Microsoft SharePoint Server, CVE-2026-59310 in Broadcom VMware vCenter, and CVE-2026-65400 in Apple macOS Screen Sharing. KEV listing confirms observed exploitation in the wild. Three of the four products are frequently deployed as high-value enterprise infrastructure, including remote-access endpoints and collaboration platforms.
Attackers exploit critical SharePoint flaw after PoC goes public (CVE-2026-55040)
Attackers use Rapid7's public PoC to exploit CVE-2026-55040, a critical SharePoint authentication bypass patched in July 2026.
Rapid7 researcher Stephen Fewer published technical analysis and PoC exploit code for CVE-2026-55040, an authentication bypass in SharePoint caused by flaws in the JWT token validation pipeline. Threat intelligence firm Defused observed attackers using the PoC against SharePoint honeypots, though Microsoft has not yet confirmed in-the-wild exploitation. Chained with CVE-2026-63520, the flaw can yield unauthenticated remote code execution, per NHS England Digital. CISA is urging administrators to harden SharePoint deployments by limiting direct internet exposure and using Layer 7 reverse proxies.
Microsoft patches 400+ vulnerabilities, one zero-day under attack (CVE-2026-68820)
Microsoft's August 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes 400+ vulnerabilities, including an actively exploited Windows zero-day (CVE-2026-68820) used by North Korean attackers.
Microsoft's August 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes over 400 vulnerabilities, including CVE-2026-68820, a use-after-free in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver exploited in the wild by North Korean actors deploying a kernel-mode rootkit in Operation Dream Job. Critical unauthenticated remote code execution flaws in Microsoft QUIC (CVE-2026-62815) and Windows DNS (CVE-2026-62878) were also patched, alongside a SharePoint RCE chain combining CVE-2026-63520 with CVE-2026-55040. Researcher Nightmare-Eclipse released ShieldBreak, a PoC bypassing the July RoguePlanet Microsoft Defender patch (CVE-2026-50656), confirmed working by Will Dormann on Windows 11.