2025 Snapshot
Last year the number of vulnerabilities Microsoft disclosed from their products was at a record historic high.
Although critical vulnerabilities are in decline with 78 flagged last year, the overall trajectory remains on an upward trend.
For organisations, this means that while there are fewer critical vulnerabilities, the overall Microsoft attack surface is continuing to expand. Cyber resilience therefore continues to be a critical capability.
+60%
Security bypass
Increase since last report
>40%
Were EoP exploits
Elevation of Privilege (EoP)
1,360 Vulnerabilities
Identified and reported to Microsoft in 2024
Statistics from 2025 Beyond Trust Report
5 Most common Microsoft Vulnerabilities in 2025
Uncover the recurring exploits adversary simulators keep encountering through tests in real world environments.
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Microsoft Entry Points
Microsoft's widespread enterprise adoption might have businesses falsely believe the ecosystem they use have no technical points of failure. Azure Active Directory and hybrid Microsoft environments can expose integration points that attackers exploit to move between on premises and cloud systems. SharePoint and custom-built Microsoft apps could leave sensitive data exposed, while misconfigured Microsoft DevOps pipelines can open door to deeper compromise.
Attackers also take advantage of lateral movement opportunities within networks, this is made possible by default Microsoft settings that were never hardened. Whilst not a technical exploit, the enduring risk of human error, weak or missing internal and vendor processes also need to be considered. Microsoft themed phishing emails and targeted social engineering campaigns continue to the one of the most effective ways adversaries breach environments.
Beyond prevention:
Internal and external security teams alike now operate on the principle of layered security in order to provide 24/7 continuous monitoring, rapid response and real time visibility into breaches. In relation to Microsoft a layered approach could mean diversifying security tools between providers even though Microsoft tools such as Defender are included in E3 and E5 Licensing.
Even the most advanced business setups that protects everything from network to users can leave gaps that remain unknown until exploited by an adversary. Automated alerts and dashboards don't uncover subtle misconfigurations, weak or non-existing policies, or importantly the human element.
This is where an adversary simulation can be critical, providing a real-world emulation of a full-scale attack, which software alone could never test. With 1,360 reported Microsoft vulnerabilities last year, how many opportunities did bad actors have getting into your Microsoft tenancy and wider IT environment?
Adversary Simulation
Just as a data backup is only as reliable as its last restoration test, your M365 tenancy and wider environment is only as secure as it's last emulated attack. An adversary simulation provides businesses with a safe and controlled way to validate whether their existing security investment can detect and withstand a real-world adversary.
Penetration Test vs Adversary Simulation:
Adversary simulations are more complex than a traditional penetration test. Mainly because it's not limited only to technical vulnerabilities or forced into a limiting scope, it emulates a full spectrum attack with realistic objectives and pathways to gain access.
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Dvuln is a specialist information security company founded by Australian cyber security specialists based out of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane who combined, have over 20 years of documented and proven experience in application security, cryptography & secure software development.
Key Capabilities:
- Pentesting
- Adversary Simulation
- Maturity Assessment
- Security Transformation
- Training
