Microsoft Put Older Versions of SharePoint on Life Support. Hackers Are Taking Advantage.
In a recent report, Microsoft confirmed what many IT professionals feared: older versions of SharePoint are now officially on life support. While this might be a routine part of the product lifecycle, it has created a wide-open opportunity for cybercriminals who specialize in exploiting known vulnerabilities—especially in software that no longer receives regular updates or critical security patches.
Hackers are actively targeting organizations that rely on outdated versions of SharePoint. These platforms, still in heavy use by enterprises and small businesses alike, serve as rich repositories of sensitive business data, intellectual property, and internal communications. And now, with Microsoft's focus shifted to newer editions, attackers are free to poke and prod at older code with little fear of interference from Redmond.
A New Favorite Playground for Cybercriminals
Legacy SharePoint installations are particularly vulnerable because they:
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No longer receive critical patches
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Are often hosted on similarly outdated operating systems
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Can’t take advantage of modern detection-based security tools
Attackers know this. Exploit kits and automated scripts designed to compromise these versions are widely available on the dark web. Once inside, hackers can move laterally through the network, deploy ransomware, steal credentials, or exfiltrate sensitive data—all without ever being noticed by conventional detection tools.
If you’re running unsupported SharePoint, you are no longer just vulnerable—you are a target.
Why “Detect and Respond” Is Not Enough
Many organizations have invested in endpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms, believing that real-time alerts and threat hunting will protect them from compromise. But with attackers exploiting known weaknesses in unpatched systems, these tools are too little, too late.
When your systems are being exploited through well-documented vulnerabilities, there’s nothing to “detect” that hasn’t already happened.
We’ve seen time and again: businesses fall victim to attacks that were completely preventable—but only if they had prevented execution in the first place.
AppGuard: Isolation and Containment for the Real World
That’s where AppGuard steps in.
AppGuard doesn’t rely on detection. It prevents malware from executing, even on outdated systems—including unsupported versions of SharePoint. It works by applying patented isolation and containment techniques at the kernel level, allowing normal operations to continue while silently blocking any unauthorized process from launching or spreading.
It doesn’t matter if Microsoft has abandoned your version of SharePoint. With AppGuard in place:
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No unauthorized scripts will run
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No privilege escalation attempts will succeed
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No ransomware will execute
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No lateral movement will take root
Even if your endpoint is vulnerable, AppGuard makes it unusable to attackers.
Real Protection for Legacy Systems
Many organizations can’t simply upgrade every system overnight. Financial constraints, integration dependencies, and operational disruptions make it hard to move on from legacy platforms quickly. Cybercriminals know this—and they exploit the gap.
But AppGuard fills that gap.
For over a decade, AppGuard has been protecting high-risk endpoints in military, intelligence, and critical infrastructure environments. Today, it’s available for commercial businesses—big or small—who need bulletproof protection, especially when they’re running legacy or unsupported systems.
Don’t Wait for a Breach to Prove the Point
Microsoft may no longer support your SharePoint instance, but attackers are fully invested in it.
If you're running legacy systems, it’s time to stop hoping your detection tools will catch everything. Isolation and Containment isn't a luxury—it's a necessity. AppGuard delivers exactly that, with a proven record in protecting even the most vulnerable environments.
Let’s talk.
If your business is still using unsupported SharePoint or other legacy software, CHIPS can show you how AppGuard can lock it down—before the attackers lock you out.
Move beyond Detect and Respond. Step into Isolation and Containment.
Talk to CHIPS today about how AppGuard can prevent what Microsoft won’t patch.
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