Microsoft contained a major SharePoint security flaw, amid fresh questions about the future of its legacy on-premises software.

It's not just data theft. A China-based hacking group is using a flaw in vulnerable SharePoint servers to deliver ransomware, Microsoft warns.

A China-linked threat actor has been observed exploiting SharePoint servers to deliver ransomware, according to Microsoft researchers, in the latest sign of worsening attacks against on-premises SharePoint Server customers.

The name was coined by Dinh Ho Anh, a researcher from Khoa of Viettel Cyber Security, who developed the exploit. The researcher said he picked the name because it exploited ToolPane.aspx, a component for assembling the side panel view in the SharePoint user interface.

Hackers in recent weeks have exploited flaws in SharePoint, a document management system developed by Microsoft Corp., to try to steal sensitive data from hundreds of victims.