Chinese Hackers Exploited Microsoft’s SharePoint: ProPublica Reveals

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In a recent article, ProPublica revealed that internal communication systems showed Microsoft relied on a China-based engineering team for SharePoint support. SharePoint allows organizations to set up internal networks and link their computers. The July breach allowed attackers to gain control of SharePoint’s servers, enabling them to install unauthorized software and backdoors for future access. This affected versions of SharePoint dating back to 2016, with reports suggesting U.S. federal agencies were also compromised.

Microsoft initially responded by identifying other SharePoint vulnerabilities that could pose future threats but were not exploited at the time of discovery. According to today’s report, China-based teams fixed bugs in SharePoint, which users can operate on their own devices (referred to as ‘OnPrem’). While Microsoft did not admit the presence of these Chinese teams in its initial statement, it confirmed to ProPublica that such a team exists and is “supervised by a U.S.-based engineer and subject to all security requirements and manager code review.”

Work is underway to shift this support work to another location. The involvement of China-based engineering teams has been contentious due to concerns about the Chinese government’s requests for cooperation, stemming from a 2017 law that mandates compliance with state requests.

The penetration of the July hack was significant, affecting organizations like the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which maintains U.S. strategic assets. The Department of Energy, overseeing the NNSA, stated that the impact was “minimal,” with only a small number of systems affected.

In a unique start to his ruling against President Donald Trump’s administration on September 30, U.S. District Court Judge William Young included a scanned handwritten note sent to his office. The note read: “Trump has pardons and tanks – what do you have?” At the top of Young’s opinion in AAUP v. Rubio, which ruled that Trump’s effort to deport foreign-born student protesters was unconstitutional.

October 8, 2025

📚 Reading Comprehension Quiz

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According to the article, which statement is true regarding Microsoft's SharePoint support team?

A. Microsoft exclusively uses U.S.-based teams for all SharePoint support. B. China-based engineering teams fixed bugs in SharePoint but were not supervised by any U.S. engineer. C. The involvement of China-based engineering teams was confirmed by Microsoft to ProPublica, and they are subject to security requirements and manager code review. D. Microsoft did not admit the presence of Chinese teams until after the July breach occurred.

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