CVE-2019-1202 in SharePoint
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the way Microsoft SharePoint handles session objects. An authenticated attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could hijack the session of another user. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker could run a specially crafted application. The security update corrects how SharePoint handles session objects to prevent user session hijacking.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-1202 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Microsoft SharePoint's session management mechanisms. This weakness specifically targets the handling of session objects within the SharePoint platform, creating an avenue for authenticated attackers to exploit the system's session handling processes. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and management of session identifiers, allowing malicious actors to potentially intercept and manipulate active user sessions. According to CWE-200, this issue falls under information disclosure vulnerabilities where sensitive session data becomes accessible to unauthorized parties. The flaw exists in the SharePoint server-side session object handling, which fails to properly validate session integrity and authentication status.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker who can leverage the flawed session management to perform session hijacking operations. Attackers can craft specialized applications designed to exploit the session object handling weaknesses within SharePoint, potentially gaining unauthorized access to other users' sessions and their associated privileges. This attack vector operates through the manipulation of session identifiers and authentication tokens that SharePoint uses to maintain user sessions. The vulnerability demonstrates a direct failure in the principle of least privilege and session isolation, where legitimate session management controls are bypassed or weakened. From an ATT&CK perspective, this maps to technique T1550.003 for use of stolen credentials and T1078.004 for valid accounts, as the exploitation relies on authenticated access to leverage session hijacking capabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-1202 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as successful exploitation enables full session hijacking capabilities that can lead to complete system compromise. An attacker who successfully hijacks a user session can potentially access sensitive corporate data, perform administrative functions, modify content, and maintain persistent access to the SharePoint environment. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying heavily on SharePoint for document management, collaboration, and enterprise content management. The risk is amplified in environments where SharePoint serves as a central hub for business-critical applications and data storage. Organizations with multiple SharePoint instances or federated environments face increased exposure, as session hijacking could potentially propagate across interconnected systems. The vulnerability also impacts compliance requirements for data protection and access control, potentially violating regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or SOX depending on the nature of the data handled.
Microsoft's security update addresses this vulnerability by enhancing the session object handling mechanisms within SharePoint to properly validate session integrity and prevent unauthorized session manipulation. The fix implements stronger session validation controls and improved authentication token management to ensure that session identifiers cannot be easily hijacked or manipulated by authenticated attackers. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the security update to protect their SharePoint environments from potential exploitation. Additional mitigations include implementing network segmentation to limit access to SharePoint servers, enabling multi-factor authentication for all SharePoint users, and monitoring session activity for suspicious patterns. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper session management in web applications and underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of authentication and authorization mechanisms. Security teams should also review existing session management policies and implement additional controls such as session timeout mechanisms, secure cookie attributes, and regular session validation checks to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in other applications within the organization's infrastructure.