They indicate that Microsoft SharePoint can scan encrypted ZIP folders for "malware".

Microsoft SharePoint, a collaboration platform focused on organizations and enterprises, has a new way to access and analyze the contents of compressed ZIP folders, even if they are password protected.

ZIP is a file format used as a holding folder for one or more compressed files to make them smaller and easier to transfer from one device to another, such as a hard drive.

Now Andrew Brand, a senior researcher at security-focused hardware and software company Sophos, has discovered that Microsoft Sharepoint can analyze the contents of these encrypted folders and warn users if malicious "software" is found inside.

"Malware detected. Several commands unavailable," read the note he shared on Twitter, which includes a ZIP folder icon at the top along with a button instructing users to "learn more about this issue."

Brand explained that he saw this notification on Microsoft services because there was a "stack" of password-encrypted ZIP files containing malware. "My usual sharing method is to upload this ZIP file to a SharePoint directory," he admits.

The researcher pointed out that while he understands that this should "ideally be done for users who are not malware analysts," this form of intrusion can become a "big problem" for users running this type of software usage.

According to Brand, this new Microsoft SharePoint filter, which the technology developer himself has yet to announce via its official channels or in its Security Solutions section, will “undermine the ability of “malware” research to do its job.