Researchers say Chinese actors, along with other criminal hackers, exploited a security flaw in SharePoint software widely used by governments and businesses.

Microsoft issued an emergency fix to close off a vulnerability in its SharePoint software that hackers have exploited to carry out widespread attacks on businesses and at least some federal agencies.

Among the attackers now actively exploiting vulnerable on-premises Microsoft SharePoint servers, at least one has shown indications of originating from China, according to the assessment of researchers at Google Cloud-owned Mandiant.

The hackers behind the initial wave of attacks exploiting a zero-day in Microsoft SharePoint servers have so far primarily targeted government organizations, according to researchers as well as news reports.

A major cyberattack has hit Microsoft's SharePoint platforms, putting thousands of organizations at risk around the world. The attack began

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Hackers exploited a security flaw in common Microsoft Corp. software to breach governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe and steal sensitive information, according to officials and cybersecurity researchers.