The Rising Threat of ToolShell: Unpacking the July 2025 SharePoint Zero-Day Exploits

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Anatomy of the ToolShell Exploit Chain Beginning around July 7, 2025, adversaries exploited a deserialization flaw in SharePoint’s on-premises service (CVE-2025-53770) to upload a malicious spinstall0.aspx payload, triggering code execution within the w3wp.exe process. A secondary path-traversal flaw (CVE-2025-53771) then enabled privilege escalation and lateral movement across corporate networks . Security researchers at Eye Security and Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 observed attackers bypassing identity controls – MFA and SSO – to exfiltrate machine keys, deploy persistent backdoors, and chain ransomware operations within hours of initial compromise . State-Backed Actor Involvement Microsoft attributes the campaign primarily to Storm-2603, assessed with moderate confidence to be China-based, alongside historically linked groups Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon . These actors have a track record of blending cyber-espionage with financially motivated ransomware like Warlock and Lo...
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CBP's Use of Hacked TeleMessage App Raises Security Concerns

 


The recent breach of TeleMessage, a modified version of the secure messaging app Signal used by U.S. government agencies, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP), has raised significant national security concerns. The app, designed to archive encrypted messages for compliance purposes, was found to have vulnerabilities that allowed hackers to access sensitive data, including contact information of government officials and backend login credentials. This incident underscores the risks associated with using third-party applications for secure communications, especially when they are not approved under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). Senator Ron Wyden has called for a Department of Justice investigation into TeleMessage, highlighting the potential threat to U.S. national security.

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