New SharePoint Phishing Campaigns Employing Deceptive Lick Techniques

Security analysts at CyberProof’s Security Operations Center (SOC) have identified a sharp rise in phishing campaigns leveraging Microsoft SharePoint to bypass modern detection systems.

Unlike traditional phishing attempts that rely on embedded malicious links, these sophisticated attacks exploit the inherent trust users place in SharePoint, a widely adopted collaboration platform within enterprises.

By disguising phishing URLs as legitimate file-sharing links, threat actors trick users into accessing credential-harvesting pages or downloading malware.

Attackers Exploit Trusted Microsoft Platform

The stealthy nature of these attacks stems from their ability to evade endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools and email security gateways, as SharePoint links are rarely flagged as suspicious.

Furthermore, the dynamic and time-sensitive hosting of malicious content on SharePoint makes it challenging for automated scanners and sandboxes to detect these threats, allowing attackers to reuse malicious domains across multiple campaigns.

According to CyberProof Report, these SharePoint phishing campaigns employ a multi-stage approach to maximize their effectiveness, often resembling spear-phishing in their precision.

Attackers initiate the assault with seemingly legitimate emails containing SharePoint links, leading users through an identity-checking phase where only the intended recipient’s email can unlock the next stage.

Upon providing their credentials, victims receive an authentic Microsoft validation code, further reinforcing the illusion of legitimacy.

This code, once entered, redirects users to a fake login page hosted on SharePoint, designed to harvest sensitive information.

Advanced Spear-Phishing Tactics

Such intricate redirection chains, combined with the use of deceptive domains mimicking Microsoft services, make these attacks particularly difficult for security teams to identify through standard URL analysis or click-event monitoring.

In some cases, compromised accounts are exploited to send phishing emails, blurring the lines between genuine and malicious communications, especially when prior business relationships exist with the sender’s domain.

Post-compromise, attackers often introduce hidden multi-factor authentication (MFA) methods to maintain access, create malicious inbox rules, and even invite hundreds of external accounts, amplifying the attack’s impact within an organization.

To combat this rising threat, organizations must adopt proactive detection and response strategies. Analyzing suspicious sign-in activities or audit logs following interactions with unknown SharePoint links is a critical first step in identifying compromises.

Investigating host timelines and proxy logs around the time of validation code receipt can uncover redirections to malicious domains, often disguised as Microsoft lookalikes.

Immediate remediation steps include resetting compromised user passwords, removing unauthorized MFA additions, blocking malicious URLs, and deleting phishing emails and associated inbox rules.

However, the cornerstone of defense remains user education empowering employees to recognize and report suspicious SharePoint links can significantly reduce the success rate of these attacks.

As threat actors continue to refine their tactics, leveraging trusted platforms like SharePoint for phishing, organizations must remain vigilant, combining technical safeguards with informed user behavior to mitigate the risks posed by these deceptive campaigns.

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