SharePoint: Copilot Search in SharePoint and OneDrive

🚨 The Signal: Copilot Search in SharePoint and OneDrive uses AI for natural language search and summarisation. This changes how users discover and access information, potentially exposing sensitive data if permissions are not strictly enforced.

The Impact

All users are affected, with a high risk of sensitive data exposure if existing permissions are not correctly configured and enforced.

  • End Users: Risk of over-exposure to sensitive data through AI-driven search results.
  • Security Teams: Increased burden to audit and ensure least privilege for content access.
  • Data Owners: Potential for unintended disclosure of restricted information.
  • Compliance Officers: Challenges in demonstrating adherence to data access policies.

The Action

  1. Review and enforce strict access controls (ACLs) on all SharePoint sites and OneDrive content.
  2. Implement Microsoft Purview Information Protection sensitivity labels and policies for sensitive data.
  3. Utilise Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies to prevent sharing of sensitive information.
  4. Audit existing SharePoint and OneDrive sharing links and permissions for over-privileged access.
  5. Educate users on responsible use of Copilot Search and the importance of data sensitivity.

Domain: SharePoint · Impact: high · Workload: SharePoint