CVE-2024-38094: 1,300+ SharePoint Servers At Risk of RCE

A significant volume of corporate infrastructure remains exposed to high-impact exploitation due to unpatched software. According to Bleeping Computer, over 1,300 Microsoft SharePoint servers exposed to the internet are currently vulnerable to CVE-2024-38094, an RCE vulnerability that has been observed in active exploitation. This vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker with Site Owner permissions—or a threat actor who has successfully executed a Phishing campaign to acquire such credentials—to execute arbitrary code on the server.

Technical Analysis of CVE-2024-38094

The vulnerability is rooted in the way Microsoft SharePoint Server handles the deserialization of untrusted data. When a server fails to properly validate the input, an attacker can craft a malicious request that triggers the execution of code within the context of the SharePoint service account. While the CVSS score is 7.2, the real-world risk is elevated because the flaw was exploited as a Zero-Day and continues to be a primary target for groups seeking Lateral Movement within high-value networks.

Data provided by the Shadowserver Foundation indicates that while the total number of exposed SharePoint instances is large, a specific subset of 1,300 servers has been confirmed as running vulnerable versions. The majority of these instances are located in the United States, followed by Germany, Russia, and China. These servers represent a significant surface area for APT groups and Ransomware affiliates who prioritize stable, high-privilege access to enterprise data stores.

How to Detect CVE-2024-38094 Exploit Activity

Defenders should focus on identifying abnormal child processes originating from the SharePoint worker process (w3wp.exe). Determining how to detect CVE-2024-38094 exploit attempts requires a combination of log analysis and EDR telemetry. Security teams should monitor for the creation of web shells or unusual network connections to known C2 infrastructure. Additionally, SIEM alerts should be configured to flag unauthorized administrative changes or the export of large volumes of data from SharePoint databases, which may indicate a successful compromise.

Remediation and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019 RCE Protection

Immediate patching is the only definitive way to secure affected environments. Organizations must prioritize applying the July 2024 security updates to ensure Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019 RCE protection and safeguarding for other supported versions like SharePoint Server 2016 and the Subscription Edition.

Given that this CVE is listed in the CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities) catalog, federal agencies and private sector organizations alike are urged to treat this as a high-priority incident response task. If a server is found to have been unpatched, the SOC should conduct a thorough forensic review. Attackers often use RCE vulnerabilities to establish persistence before patches are applied, meaning that updating the software alone may not eliminate an existing threat.

Standard mitigations include:

• Applying the July 2024 (or later) cumulative updates immediately.
• Enforcing Zero Trust principles by restricting access to SharePoint administrative interfaces to a limited set of internal IP addresses.
• Reviewing MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to Server Software Component (T1505) to harden web applications.
• Searching for IoC signatures provided by threat intelligence feeds that correlate with SharePoint exploitation.