SharePoint Security Best Practices

TL;DR:

• SharePoint powers collaboration, but poor permissions, sharing settings, and visibility can expose sensitive data.
• Common risks include over-permissioned users, public links, stale sites, and audit log blind spots.
• Best practices: use RBAC, 2FA, audit logs, IRM, and DLP policies to control access and monitor behavior.
• Strac enhances SharePoint security with automated data discovery, real-time remediation, behavior-based DLP, and compliance-ready reporting.
• By combining Microsoft-native tools with Strac, organizations can secure SharePoint data, reduce risk, and stay compliant in 2025.

SharePoint is a cornerstone of collaboration in Microsoft 365, powering intranets, document storage, and team sites across organizations. But with its expansive capabilities comes increased security responsibility. Mismanaged permissions, unrestricted sharing, and weak governance can expose your sensitive data to risk.

This blog outlines the most effective SharePoint security best practices to help you protect information, enforce compliance, and maintain secure collaboration in 2025.

✨ Common Security Risks in SharePoint

‎Before we dive into best practices, it's important to understand the most common vulnerabilities:

• Over-permissioned users gaining access to sensitive files
• Unrestricted external sharing with vendors or public links
• Lack of visibility into user activity and audit logs
• Stale or orphaned sites with outdated access
• Misconfiguration in SharePoint admin center

These threats can lead to data exposure, compliance violations, and reputational harm.

SharePoint Online Security Basics

Microsoft provides built-in tools to help secure SharePoint, but they must be configured properly:

• Use Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Center for global security policies
• Set up role-based access in SharePoint to align with the principle of least privilege
• Enforce two-factor authentication for SharePoint using conditional access policies
• Enable audit logs in SharePoint to track document access, edits, and permission changes
• Leverage SharePoint compliance features like retention labels, sensitivity labels, and DLP policies

Enhance your Microsoft 365 setup with Strac’s Data Loss Prevention platform.

Tips for SharePoint Security

Access Control Strategy

Adopt a strict role-based access control (RBAC) model. Break permissions down to the site, library, and even item level when necessary. Avoid granting broad access via groups like "Everyone except external users."

Learn how Strac’s sensitive data detection helps apply RBAC where it matters most.

Enable Information Rights Management (IRM)

IRM adds another layer of control to sensitive documents by preventing actions like printing or copying. This is essential for secure document sharing in SharePoint.

Regularly Audit SharePoint Activity

Use Microsoft Purview and Unified Audit Logs to monitor:

• Who accessed what
• When and where
• What changes were made

Strac’s compliance-ready audit logs make reporting easy for your next security review.

✨ Use Smart Data Loss Prevention Policies

Enable DLP policies in Microsoft Purview to block or warn users when attempting to share sensitive content like PII, PCI, or HIPAA-protected data.

Strac DLP enhances these policies with real-time redaction, masking, and more.

Best Practices for SharePoint Data Security in 2025

Take a Holistic Approach to Site-Level Security

Each SharePoint site collection should be treated as a standalone security boundary. Customize permissions and controls based on content sensitivity and business use cases.

Limit Content and Document Sharing in SharePoint Online

Restrict sharing to only those who need it. Disable anonymous sharing and require authentication for all external users.

Monitor User Activity for Unusual Behaviors

Watch for red flags like bulk downloads, access from unusual geolocations, or excessive file sharing. These may signal insider threats or compromised accounts.

Strac’s behavior-aware DLP helps detect and remediate these activities automatically.

Encrypt SharePoint Data at Rest and in Transit

Microsoft encrypts data natively using BitLocker and TLS, but organizations can enforce additional encryption standards for regulatory needs.

Strac’s remediation engine supports automated encryption and labeling workflows.

Classify SharePoint Data for Improved Security Monitoring

Apply Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) labels to tag and track sensitive documents across their lifecycle.

Strac’s auto-classification models enhance Microsoft-native sensitivity labeling.

Pro-Level Tricks for Securing SharePoint

Automate Security Risk Reviews Where Possible

Schedule periodic permission reviews and automate alerts for when new users are added to sensitive sites. Tools like Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps or Strac can assist here.

Use a Zero-Trust Strategy

Assume breach and ‎verify each request. Combine conditional access, MFA, continuous monitoring, and encryption to reduce the attack surface.

Strac’s integrations work with your Zero Trust architecture to add DLP and DSPM coverage.

Use Third-Party Solutions

Supplement Microsoft-native tools with external platforms like Strac, which offers enhanced visibility, remediation, and reporting for sensitive SharePoint content.

✨ How Strac Supports SharePoint Data Security

‎Strac enhances Microsoft 365, SharePoint Google Drive security through:

• Sensitive Data Discovery: Automatically scans SharePoint Online for PII, PCI, PHI, and more
• Built-in & Custom Detectors: Identify regulated data using Strac’s full catalog
• Real-Time Remediation: Redact, block, mask, label, or delete risky content (see how)
• Compliance Reporting: Stay audit-ready for HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI, CCPA, ISO 27001, and NIST
• 10-Minute Setup: Easily integrate with SharePoint and other SaaS platforms without disrupting workflows

Want to protect your SharePoint data from leaks, breaches, or compliance failures? Get started with Strac.

🌶️ Spicy FAQs on SharePoint Security & DLP Best Practices

1. “SharePoint is part of Microsoft—doesn’t that mean it’s already secure?”

Yes, SharePoint has solid infrastructure-level security—but it can’t stop your users from uploading a spreadsheet full of customer PII into a public folder. You need DLP (like Strac) to prevent data slip-ups, not just hackers.

2. “We locked down external sharing—what else is there to do?”

A lot. Internal risk is just as dangerous. If someone shares a confidential HR doc with the entire org, that’s a breach waiting to happen. Strac’s SharePoint DLP gives you visibility inside your environment, not just at the edges.

3. “How do we stop people from uploading sensitive data to the wrong place?”

You don’t—unless you use real-time DLP scanning. Strac can block, redact, or auto-encrypt sensitive files the second they hit SharePoint. No more "Oops, didn’t mean to upload our tax ID list to the intern folder."

4. “Can’t we just rely on user training and permissions?”

Good luck. Permissions get messy fast, and even the best training can't stop someone from dragging and dropping a PHI-loaded PDF into a shared folder. Strac helps clean up permission chaos and enforces policy at the content level.

5. “What’s the fastest way to make SharePoint actually secure?”

Start with 3 things: enable MFA, audit your sharing settings, and deploy Strac’s SharePoint-native DLP. It gives you real-time detection, redaction, and remediation—without slowing your users down.